MELTING
by UchihanoChidori
Summary: Naruto knew that life played tricks on him on occasion, but he never would've expected that his best friend's love interest would be none other than his precious friend from a past long gone. Little did he know that those feelings from back then could prevail throughout the years, but the question is: should he fight for them, or give them up?
1. His Sasuke

Okay guys, so I know I shouldn't be starting something new, but this plot has been plaguing me for months now, and it's so my type I just totally fell for it! Don't expect something too complex, but I think this will be an interesting story, emotional, as per usual, maybe sometimes funny, and with a few interesting twists.

More than anything I think it will be a beautiful story, with a mixture between past and present.

I hope you guys like it!

Not betaed for the time being.

Ko-fi page under the same author's name.

Also, let me remind you that I now have a twitter account. You can find me NoChidoriUchiha.

* * *

**MELTING**

**Chapter One: His Sasuke**

_"You're not going to cry, are you?"_

_Naruto sincerely tried his best not to – he was a grown boy, already a teenager, and this kind of behaviour was not acceptable, least of all in front of **him**._

_But he soon realized that he couldn't help it. There was a sadness and loneliness inside of him he was unfamiliar with; all these feelings were new and unknown to his young heart, and he didn't like them at all, but they existed, and there was nothing he could do about it. It angered him, too, especially when thick tears insisted in stubbornly rolling down his cheeks. He immediately hated that his eyesight had become watery, stopping him from properly seeing the pretty face of the boy standing in front of him._

_"Geez…" said boy muttered with a low, impatient huff. "You're hopeless, dumbass."_

_"Shut up!" Naruto sobbed, furiously wiping his eyes with the back of his hands. "I'm sorry if I'm the only one feeling sad!"_

_As he hiccupped and desperately tried to keep his composure and force his tears to stop, Naruto heard the other boy sigh. Then, he felt gentle hands grab for his wrists to lower them. He could barely see the other boy's face, but he just knew that dark eyes were firmly glued to his blue ones._

_"You said you didn't like me," the other boy said, and his tone was calm – a tone Naruto had been privy to far too little. "You don't get to feel sad for someone you don't like."_

_The feeling of anger and helplessness seemed to grow further inside Naruto's chest as his already flustered cheeks caught fire. "Stupid Sasuke!" he yelled, shaking his head from side to side. "That's not how it is at all! You should know it's not!"_

_To his surprise, Sasuke chuckled softly, his fingers tightening reassuringly around Naruto's wrists. "Right."_

_Maybe it was the grounding touch, or Sasuke's soothing tone of voice. Maybe it was the gentle and perfumed morning breeze from the flowery field around them, accompanied by the sound of birds chirping and the running stream nearby – the one where he and Sasuke had played in so many times during that summer that felt like it had no right to end._

_Whatever it was, Naruto's tears slowly ceased, and he was able to sniff pathetically and take a good look at the other boy's face – a face he had, many times, considered beautiful, even if he would not admit it to himself, and least of all to Sasuke himself._

_He had known that the day would come when he and Sasuke would have to part ways. He knew summer vacations didn't last forever, and he knew he and Sasuke lived in completely different places in the world. At first, they had bickered and not seen eye to eye in many things. Sasuke had had quite a feisty attitude that had gotten on Naruto's nerves, but still, Sasuke was his age, and Naruto had been lonely, so he had pushed things, so they could spend time together. He had not been expecting to come to know, and understand, the reason behind the other boy's seemingly snappy personality. He hadn't even expected to want to make Sasuke feel better, to want to make him smile, and he had certainly never expected to come to like him the way he did. _

_But then again, he had never expected for Sasuke to come to listen to his own troubled heart and simply be there, either._

_And, even though Sasuke rarely expressed his feelings in a genuine way, truth was, Naruto hoped that he liked him back, too, even if just a little._

_Because, to him, they were undoubtedly friends._

_Suddenly, everything seemed unfair. Even though Iruka had warned him to be prepared for them parting ways, this was the first time in his young life that Naruto truly felt the pain of separation from someone he didn't want to let go of. _

_"Will… will we ever see each other again?" he muttered sadly, with yet another sniff, throwing Sasuke a hopeful look._

_To his surprise, Sasuke pressed his lips tightly together as his usually pale cheeks gained the most beautiful shade of red. He seemed to struggle with himself for a bit until he finally nodded once. "I hope so, Naruto."_

_If Naruto had ever needed any kind of confirmation of Sasuke's feelings, that was it, and it made him so happy and filled with hope that everything suddenly felt so much better._

_Unable to help himself, he offered Sasuke a huge grin, even if he knew his nose was running and his cheeks were puffy, he didn't care. It almost made him want to jump in joy when Sasuke smiled back._

_"I have to go," Sasuke said, slowly releasing Naruto's wrists. "My parents will be looking for me soon. We're leaving in a bit."_

_"Okay," Naruto acquiesced, keeping his smile in check even though a new pang of sadness hit him._

_Unexpectedly, Sasuke leaned in and pressed his mouth clumsily to Naruto's, rendering him speechless and motionless. It lasted for about three seconds, but it certainly did enough to shock – and impress - the living hell out of Naruto._

_As soon as he leaned away with a small smacking sound, Sasuke wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. "Gross," he said, even though they had done this once before. _

_A little dumfounded, Naruto too rubbed at his mouth with his fingers in a poor attempt at seeming disgusted. "Yeah," he agreed absently, unable to take his eyes away from Sasuke's._

_Making a small pout with his lips, Sasuke shoved his hands inside the pockets of his cream __colored shorts. "See ya," he said, before resolutely turning his back on Naruto and firmly walking away. _

_Naruto knew he could follow him, walk him home and spend whatever little time left with him – after all, his farm was merely down the road of the house Sasuke's parents had rented for the summer – but he didn't feel like he could go through the effort and the suffering of seeing Sasuke leaving for good._

_This was fine, he told himself. It didn't feel like goodbye at all, and it was almost as if they could be parting ways at the end of the day when Sasuke needed to go home early while Naruto had to stay behind to pick some herbs. This was no different. _

_"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto called out, putting both his hands in a 'O' shape in front of his mouth. "We're friends, right?"_

_Sasuke kept walking, but he did look over his shoulder with a cocky smirk. "Of course!"_

_And that was the happiest and most fulfilled moment Naruto had ever lived in his short life – a moment he wouldn't forget for a long as he lived._

_But then again, he was sure he'd never forget Sasuke no matter what._

**_Sixteen Years Later_**

Naruto was in an exceptionally good mood that night, and in his high spirits, it felt like nothing in the world could possibly ruin it. He hadn't felt like this in a long time, months or, he dared say, maybe even years.

After he had moved from the countryside to the city to attend college, with his new life as a working student, everything had seemed far too overwhelming to him at some point for a few years. He thought he had known what being poor was like, but soon realised how difficult life was away from the comfort of his parents' home and his quiet life as a young farmer, faraway from the hectic chaos of stress, obligations and mischiefs that plagued the city. To make matters worse, his love life was… well, it was _shit_, to put it blandly. Not that his sex life was, though. Sex was easier to find than love in those parts, but sex and love, when not existing side by side, could be two, very distinct things, and by the age of 28, Naruto had come to know this well.

However, now with a college degree in hand and a somewhat stable job for the time being, he felt like things were moving forward and that he could finally grab hold of his destiny; which meant that this one was a night of celebration.

It was still a little after dinner time, but the pub was already half-full, noisy with the good-natured chattering of people sitting at the tables around him and standing by the counter and the lively rock music playing in the background, to which Naruto's foot tapped the floor in tempo with the beat of the drums. It was his first time there, but he liked how the place looked purposefully old and rustic, mostly decorated in dark wood, and the soft yellow lights gave it a warm and welcoming feel. Also, it was clean.

He'd already exchanged glances with a few women and a couple of men that seemed more than a little interested in him, but he decided he'd be well behaved tonight since it was a special occasion.

Sitting at one of the small and square rustic wooden tables, Naruto checked his mobile phone to see what the time was. Kiba should be arriving any minute now with the friend he'd been bragging so much about in the last few months.

These were great days for his best friend as well since, after mourning a painful breakup up with his long-term girlfriend because of her travelling to another country, Kiba had a while ago found someone he was truly into – someone he was finally going to introduce to Naruto today.

Kiba had been talking about this guy for a long time now. 'Sasuke' was his name, and that was about all Naruto knew of him. Even if Kiba talked for hours about his 'dates' with his (according to him) soon-to-be-boyfriend, he provided little information about his life or past, so Naruto supposed he either didn't know much himself, or purposefully didn't talk as per Sasuke's request. Also, Kiba refused to show Naruto a picture, cockishly saying that it would kill the surprise factor for when they met.

Apparently, 'Sasuke' had good-looks that were out of this world. Naruto always felt like gagging at the fact because, for some strange reason, Kiba – who was average as far as looks went - tended to be in steady relationships with people who were _way_ out of his league.

Only Kiba and Sasuke weren't a thing yet, even if Kiba truly believed that whatever they had was one hundred percent mutual. They hadn't even done anything either, nor had they ever talked about each other's feelings, but Kiba seemed so stubbornly certain of the course of things that Naruto didn't feel like meddling in with his opinion.

Kiba and Sasuke had met at the large company they both worked at. At the time, Kiba was doing an internship and Sasuke, the nephew of the company's owner, had been in charge of his department and had thus been one of Kiba's supervisors.

According to Kiba, Sasuke was a highly intelligent man who, despite working under his family and being in a high ranked position, did all kinds of works inside the company, including some that were far below his status. He was where he was needed and helped his co-workers and underlings in everything he could, working himself to the bone. Regardless of him being very strict and straightforward, Sasuke represented everything a true leader should be, even at such a young age, and that was something that had awakened Kiba's admiration and deeper interest more than anything else.

Also, it had been Sasuke who had convinced his uncle to hire Kiba, seeing potential in him.

Kiba said many good things about this guy, and yet also badmouthed him on occasion. It was kind of funny how conflicting was Kiba's attraction for the man against the things that irked him about Sasuke. These sorts of feelings were something Naruto could understand well.

_Sasuke, huh?_

The name brought back memories for Naruto, and still resonated within his heart with a sort of warmth and happiness that little things could match. Those memories, of a summer so many years ago, were still fresh in his mind and always managed to bring a nostalgic smile to his lips. Those had been times of loneliness, frustration and anger, but also of forgiveness, friendship and discovery. It had been during that summer that Naruto had come to understand who he was and what he was capable of. That summer had allowed him to, as a child, realize that he was not alone and that he had the strength to overcome the things that hurt him.

So many emotions he had come to know back then – emotions he had never felt before, and emotions that he would learn how to cope with.

He had been saved, and in return, had somehow been a saviour as well.

Right now, that nostalgia that nourished his soul carried with it a hint of sadness as well. That boy who had been his anchor had disappeared from his life never to be seen again, and the thought was always bitter.

'Sasuke', his first friend. 'Sasuke', his very first love. It seemed absurd that someone so young could say that he'd been 'in love', but that kind of feeling had been very pure, too distinct to be something else, and well, it _had _guided Naruto through his sexuality in the following years.

It was such a simple story, yet, to him, it was one of the most precious of his existence, and one only he and his parents knew about. Naruto often wished that it had a different ending than it did, but after so many years, he'd come to accept that this was life, and he'd resigned himself with the fact that he and his 'Sasuke' were not fated to meet again.

With a sigh, Naruto took a sip of the beer that he had ordered while he waited.

Still, 'Sasuke' wasn't that much of a common name, so whenever Naruto heard Kiba mentioning it, his heart would unavoidably clench. It almost felt like a bad joke from fate, that Kiba's romantic interest had to have the same name as the boy who had changed Naruto's life.

Huffing, Naruto took another glance at his mobile phone just as someone loudly called out his name.

"Hey, Naruto!"

Almost immediately after hearing the familiar cheery voice, Naruto got up from his wooden stool, his head turning to where it had come from, a huge smile appearing on his lips that instantly froze as soon as his blue eyes landed upon the man trailing behind his best friend.

No, that was not fucking _possible_.

"Dude, I'm so sorry we're late!" Kiba said with a huge grin as he approached Naruto. "We got caught up with some drama at work, but we're not too late, are we?"

"N-no, not at all," Naruto stuttered automatically, his gaze acknowledging his friend for only a couple of seconds before moving again to the man that now stood next to Kiba.

Naruto's body felt completely rigid at the sight before him. Sixteen years had passed, and yet, it was unmistakable.

_He_ had gotten tall, close to Naruto's height and well built in an elegant way – actually, the black short-sleeved shirt he was wearing over a casual pair of jeans was very flattering on him. He still possessed that beautiful complexion that reminded Naruto of an immaculate porcelain doll, though now with features that were sharper, more defined, and that now could be considered handsome or even beautiful rather than just pretty.

His hair was still as dark and as spiky in the back as Naruto remembered, long enough to frame his face, but cut above his cheekbone line and his eyes – Naruto would never forget those eyes – were still the same odd tone of dark grey that strangely seemed to have a metallic hue when in the dark.

For a successful businessman probably loaded with money, the guy sure looked like your ordinary next-door neighbour – a_ very_ good-looking neighbour.

_He_ didn't seem to belong in this lowly ground of human commoners, and _he_ suddenly seemed so above all the people that surrounded them in that pub that the sight of _him_ momentarily knocked the wind out of Naruto.

When those deep dark eyes that for so many years had haunted Naruto looked straight into his and widened, elegant eyebrows rising upwards as much as Naruto's, he knew there was no mistaking it anymore.

It was _his _Sasuke, in the flesh, that stood before him. That same Sasuke from so many years ago, with a face that he would've recognized anywhere.

Naruto forgot how to breathe.

Kiba's hand landing heavily and good-naturedly on Naruto's shoulder made him jolt. "Let me introduce you two! Sasuke, this is my best friend, Naru…"

"Naruto?"

Naruto's heart seemed to have either stopped or started beating fast – he couldn't really tell which in his sudden internal stupor. Sasuke's voice was terrifyingly deep and sinfully smooth even in his obvious shock, and it strung an unknown chord inside of Naruto that shook his very being to the core.

This simply wasn't happening.

"Oh, so you knew each other already?" Kiba asked, sounding slightly surprised, and this was when Naruto was shaken out of his erratic state of mind. He saw Sasuke's mouth opening to say something and immediately released a loud laughter that sounded hysterical even to himself, cutting the man off.

"Of course not, he must be mistaking me for someone else, I've never seen him in my entire life!" Naruto said quickly and too loudly in his nervousness.

That had been a mistake, and Sasuke's livid face confirmed it.

_What the fuck am I doing?! _Naruto thought desperately.

He realized he had probably fucked up big time, but he was kind of freaking out here. This was Sasuke – _the_ Sasuke – and his world had just been turned upside down.

"Ah, it just sounded like Sasuke recognized you for a moment there," Kiba said, looking at said man questioningly. Sasuke, however, was still staring at Naruto, this time with a heavy, _heavy_ frown, his eyes having somehow darkened so much they looked like a cold, bottomless pit. Naruto knew that look well, only now, coming from this adult version, it was infinitely more terrifying than he remembered.

Sasuke said nothing, and Naruto would've gulped if it didn't give him away. "I don't really think so," Naruto dismissed with another laugh before anything else could be said. He extended a shaky and sweaty hand towards Sasuke and tried to make his smile seem more genuine and less strained, but truth was, he was all over the place, every nerve in his body in alert, his brain screaming inside his head, and his lungs barely functioning. He had no idea how he still managed to sound coherent. It was hard looking into those reproachful, sharp eyes that he had so longed for since forever, but he tried to keep his composure. He hated that look Sasuke was giving him – a look of anger, disbelief and what looked like disappointment – but he couldn't falter. He cleared his throat. "Hi Sasuke, I'm Naruto, Kiba's best friend. It's nice to meet you."

Sasuke eyed Naruto's extended hand with a flash of contempt, but this was quickly replaced by… well, _nothing_. Sasuke's face became completely and utterly inscrutable, and this was completely new to Naruto and it terrified him more than anything else.

This was not how he'd envisioned the possible scenario of ever meeting this person again.

"Same here," Sasuke finally said, to Naruto's relief, grabbing for his hand and shaking it. And what a handshake that was – firm, strong and a little painful. This time, Naruto did gulp, looking at Sasuke in a way that he hoped was apologetic enough, but to his horror, Sasuke smiled. It was a small, polite, yet deadly smile. "Kiba spoke fondly of you. You're right, I really must've mistaken you for another Naruto I used to know."

Sasuke's glare conveyed the displeasure towards being accomplice of the lie they were both telling, but for some reason, his words made Naruto's heart sink. "No problem," he said, feeling his throat dry. Even though the handshake was painful, he couldn't help but feel uneasy when Sasuke suddenly let go.

"You never told me you knew a Naruto when I told you_ I_ knew a Naruto," Kiba commented to Sasuke, thankfully oblivious to the strained interaction, blissfully unaware of the tension between the two as he smiled openly. "It's not a very common name, is it?"

"I don't think a lot of people name their children after food, no," Sasuke replied, with a venomous smirk towards Naruto. "Especially not such a _specific_ type of food."

Naruto could only force another dry laugh in return. "Your friend has a sense of humor," he told Kiba, trying to sound as relaxed and casual as he possibly could, given the situation.

"He has his days; sometimes he's just a pain in the ass," Kiba said, elbowing Sasuke's side playfully. "But he's a good guy! It's really great that we all get to hang out together today, I'm really glad this finally happened!"

"Me too," Naruto said, even if he thought that he sounded utterly dispassionate.

"Let's sit, guys!" Kiba suggested, gesturing to the table Naruto had been occupying. He noticed Naruto's beer. "You gotta finish that, 'cause this next round is on me and I want the three of us to make a toast! We got a lot to talk about!"

"Sounds like a plan," Sasuke said casually, wasting no time in grabbing for one of the stools and sitting down. Naruto fervently envied how smoothly the man could sail through that whole situation as though nothing had happened. It seemed as if he was now completely unfazed.

"Alright, man, just let me take a quick trip to the loo, nature's call," Naruto said jokingly, glad that he could finally have an excuse to break eye contact with Sasuke.

"Naruto, we just got here, and you already want to leave us hanging!" Kiba protested, sitting down as well and frowning up at Naruto. "Just hurry up taking a piss, will ya?"

"Yeah, yeah, I won't be long," Naruto assured with a fake grin. Quickly, he turned around and made his way across the bar to the men's bathroom, cursing repeatedly in his mind.

What had he done? Why had he done it? It was obvious they both knew each other - Sasuke's eyes acknowledged him with certainty – and even after so much time had passed, they hadn't forgotten each other. Sasuke remembered him. He had recognized him straight away.

It felt like a fucked-up dream.

Naruto had wanted to see that person for so long, and yet, he had to go and screw up.

_I'm such an idiot. _

There was just one bathroom and it was ridiculously small, toilet, urinal and lavatory all in one division, but it was thankfully empty, so Naruto hurried inside, immediately making his way to the sink. Placing both his hands on the edge to keep himself standing as if holding on to dear life, he noticed that he felt weak; his legs were shaking, his hands too, and there was a fine sheen of perspiration on his face. He felt sick, too.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he saw that his face was ghostly pale. The ridiculous white light of the bathroom probably didn't help, but still, he hadn't looked this horrible in a long time.

_Shit._

What could he do now? How could he fix this? Sasuke probably hated him after this, and the chances of them becoming friends again at this point were probably very low.

He hadn't meant to hide the fact that they knew each other from Kiba, but what else could he have done? Kiba was into Sasuke, and Sasuke's past with Naruto was… well, they had been kids, but _still,_ how could they explain it to Kiba without him getting weird ideas? Because, regardless of how much Naruto loved the guy, Kiba was the type of person to make a big deal out of small things, and this would fuck him up.

_Argh, aren't I the same?_ Naruto thought, running his hands over his face in frustration. _Maybe I'm the one who just overcomplicated something that is simple. There nothing wrong with our past that we should be ashamed of, Kiba wouldn't freak out over something that happened over a decade ago, between kids._

_Or maybe he would?_

Naruto didn't know what to do, but right now he needed to get his shit together and fast.

This was when he heard quick approaching footsteps coming from the outside before the bathroom door was being slammed shut behind him, making him almost jump out of his skin. Turning around in his heels, he saw none other than Sasuke, standing there and throwing daggers at him with those gorgeous, feral eyes.

"You forgot to close the door, dumbass," Sasuke said blandly. Naruto's lips parted but no sound came out, his eyes wide with surprise.

Had Kiba seen Sasuke getting into the bathroom with him? What the fuck would he think?! This wasn't good at all, and Naruto's brain was racing in panic.

But Sasuke was already closing the distance between them, coming so close so fast that Naruto was forced to take a step back until his lower back hit the edge of the sink, and still, Sasuke's face was just a few centimetres away from Naruto's, who tried to lean further away in fear. "Whoa, easy there, pal!" he gasped, raising his hands in a surrendering gesture, scared that Sasuke might want to hit him.

"What the actual fuck, Naruto!" Sasuke hissed instead, and he was clearly and openly angry now. "Why didn't you tell Kiba we know each other? Because I saw it in your eyes! I know you recognized me as quickly as I recognized you!"

Hearing those words made Naruto's heart nearly jump out of his mouth. "I don't know! I panicked, okay?" he said, putting a hand on Sasuke's chest to force him to move away enough so that he wasn't so dangerously close – which was unfortunate because Naruto couldn't help but notice that the guy smelled really nice, even if it was an unfamiliar scent, the one he was wearing.

Sasuke allowed himself to be pushed away, creating a bit of distance between them. "You panicked?" he asked in disbelief, grabbing Naruto's hand as if to keep him from running away. "Why?"

"Well, excuse me if I was caught off guard!" Naruto replied, defensively. "It's been years, I didn't expect to ever see you again, let alone in this type of situation! I was shocked, Sasuke!"

Even the name, Naruto realized, uttered after so many years, and directed at the person he'd been thinking about for so long, seemed to cause a stir inside his heart, as if it had somehow just become a taboo.

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. "What type of situation are you referring to, exactly?" he asked bluntly.

Despite himself, Naruto closed his mouth. Kiba and Sasuke were just friends for the time being, and regardless of what Kiba thought, it was true that Sasuke's side of the situation was still unknown to Naruto. Right now, he didn't even have a clue as to whether Sasuke knew about Kiba's feelings or not, but either way, it wasn't up to Naruto to reveal such information.

"I mean… you and Kiba, my best friend, knowing each other," Naruto muttered, feeling his cheeks burn with embarrassment. He couldn't tell Sasuke the truth, it wasn't his decision to make. Whatever had to happen between Sasuke and Kiba was no business of his – Kiba would never forgive him.

Sasuke's gaze scrutinized his features quickly as if trying to read him. "I see you're still as unexpectedly impulsive and awkward about things as you were back then," he said, his voice lowering to become slightly less aggressive. "One would've thought that you would've changed with age."

"I'm really sorry, Sasuke, I didn't mean to, but my mouth was speaking before I could help it," Naruto apologised, relieved when Sasuke sighed and allowed his own shoulders to relax.

"It's alright," he said, slowly releasing Naruto's hand and straightening up. "I admit that I was really surprised to find you here, as well. You didn't have to hide us knowing each other from Kiba, though. If we tell him now it'll just look stupid and suspicious, I'm sure he'd make a big deal out of it."

Ah, so Sasuke knew Kiba well enough to think the same way, Naruto realised, unsure if this made him feel comforted or not.

"It's not like it makes a difference either way," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck, still feeling a little nervous even if there was a decent distance between them now and Sasuke didn't seem so mad anymore. "What's in the past is in the past."

A flash of something cold reappeared in Sasuke's eyes then, and Naruto knew at once that he'd said something he shouldn't have again. "Is that so?" Sasuke asked, and his tone of voice had lowered to something that sounded both condescending and displeased.

"Tsk!" Naruto scratched the top of his head irritably now, feeling his cheeks even hotter now as he looked away from Sasuke and to a crack on the blue tiled wall. God, Sasuke's face was gorgeous, but so difficult to look at in that moment. "No, I… I'm sorry," he repeated with a frustrated sigh. "Give me a break, I don't really know what to do with myself right now."

For some reason this seemed to allow Sasuke to be put at ease again. He was silent for a while before heaving a small sigh. "I'm sorry if I startled you, it wasn't my intention," Sasuke said, almost gently this time as if realising he'd been too confrontational. "But when you went and denied our past, I was really pissed."

"I already apologised for that," Naruto muttered. "We should head back; Kiba will start getting suspicious."

"Yeah, I told him I was going to wash my hands," Sasuke said, and even though Naruto wasn't looking at him, he could feel those far too intense eyes trained on his face. "Still… it's really nice seeing you again after so long, Naruto."

Naruto's heartbeat skyrocketed so much he simply had to cover his face with a hand because there was no way the other man wouldn't notice that he probably looked like a ripe tomato right now. There was something about the way Sasuke said his name that catapulted him back to the past. Even if that voice was deeper now, the intonation was the same and it made things to Naruto's very soul that he couldn't explain.

He was an adult, he was supposed to be able to deal with this type of situation – he thought he did – but it appeared everything he knew about himself was being tested thanks to Sasuke.

Why did he have to behave like this in front of the man? This was humiliating beyond rational.

"Same here, Sasuke," he was able to utter, his voice muffled by his hand.

He could swear that he heard Sasuke chuckling lowly. "See you in a bit."

"Yeah."

He waited until he heard the door opening and slamming closed again to uncover his face and let his head tilt back.

He definitely was the dumbest person alive.

How the fuck was he supposed to deal with this _now_?

To be continued…

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of this new story! Things will unravel as the fic progresses. I suppose you can tell the kind of fic this is, and no, it's not a cheating fic, and it WILL be very different from ''It's Not Fair", even though the vibe will probably be kind of similar here and there. As I always say: TRUST ME and you'll enjoy the ride ^^

Thank you for reading and don't forget to let me know your thoughts!


	2. His Son

I'VE BEEN SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS FIC THAT I JUST HAD TO WRITE MORE FOR IT!

Thank you all who reviewed and were so supportive of my new work!

I don't know if you guys have noticed, but I've been trying a different type of writing with this fic so it's a bit simpler and not as descriptive as other fics. This is so things move along a bit faster than my other works. We don't want another huge assed fic that will take 5 years to finish, do we? Heh.

Not betaed. I admit I edited this under the influence of two glasses of wine, so forgive me if the grammar is a train wreck.

Also, dedicated to the one and only Solochely because you are amazingly supportive, and your art is inspiring (THOSE PANELS FOR CHAPTER ONE YOU DREW!) and thank you for everything! Your encouragement gave me motivation to write this ASAP 😉

* * *

**MELTING**

**Chapter Two: His Son**

Hanging out with Kiba and Sasuke had been an otherworldly experience for Naruto. Almost as if he was experiencing things from someone else's perspective, he automatically talked to both men and reacted to them without much thought.

It wasn't as if he didn't want to pay attention; it was simply that his brain was rushing with the adrenaline of the night's events and he couldn't focus the way he wanted to.

More precisely, he was having trouble focusing on anything that wasn't Sasuke.

Naruto still couldn't believe he was there, sitting within arm's reach - that presence that drew attention to him like a fucking magnet he was so goddamn good-looking. Not only that; the guy had charisma and held himself in a way that wasn't common, and surely, he didn't realize this since he carried himself with casual ease. Either way, it changed nothing since the effect it had on Naruto was the same.

Naruto was fascinated and very much upset about it.

Young teenage boy Sasuke had been pretty, but never in a million years would Naruto dream that he'd become _this_.

In the back of his mind, Naruto wondered if Sasuke thought he had become attractive, as well. Not that he knew anything about Sasuke's sexuality at this point, but if Kiba thought they had chemistry, surely the man must be at least bisexual _or something_. After all, he and Naruto had kissed all those years ago, _twice_.

Not that it mattered, since they had been nothing but kids.

Truth be told, Naruto didn't even know how he was able to get his composure back and keep up the act of the cheerful guy without much effort after the shock had vanished. Maybe he and Sasuke weren't that different after all.

The three of them drank a lot, taking turns paying for each round. Kiba and Sasuke talked about a few events at work, and Naruto told Sasuke a bit about finishing college and being a professional photographer for a well-known magazine, as well as doing a bit of freelance work.

Sasuke asked a few basic questions as small talk, but didn't talk much about himself, and this kind of upset Naruto, but didn't seem to bother Kiba, who made justice to himself by always having stuff to talk about, even it was mundane things or telling Sasuke about his and Naruto's shenanigans. Naruto was grateful for this, because just a few hours ago he would've been able to talk his mouth off to anyone in any given situation, but not at this moment.

It seemed like a fun night, only it wasn't – not to Naruto, at least, even if he pretended it was.

As casual and seemingly friendly as that hangout had been, he had felt nothing but anxiety and something akin to despair, and he couldn't really understand why, but guessed that it had something to do with both the fact that he was sure he had ruined his chances of getting back to being Sasuke's friend, and the fact that Kiba was in love with said guy.

How could Naruto possibly try and make amends with Sasuke without passing over Kiba? He didn't have Sasuke's cellphone number, didn't know where he lived, _nothing_, and of course it would be fucking weird if he asked Kiba about it or demonstrated a sudden interest in getting along with him.

The intense glares Sasuke had thrown his way throughout the night didn't help ease Naruto's anguish. He really didn't know how to read what Sasuke's eyes were trying to tell him, but he guessed it couldn't be anything good if they made chills run down his spine.

It was two in the morning when Sasuke drove him and Kiba back to the apartment they shared in a surprisingly modest black Volkswagen that was surely at least half their age, Naruto taking the back seat so the other two could talk between them. The ride wasn't long but lasted enough for Naruto to notice that Kiba and Sasuke _did_ seem to be very comfortable around each other – more than mere co-workers would be, at least.

Naruto tried to decipher if there was chemistry between them, but Sasuke was clearly a very proper man, and Kiba was as casual and carefree around him as he was with just about any of his close friends. This felt strange to Naruto, who had no idea how to feel about all of this if he didn't even know how to read the signs (if there were any).

He would lie if he said that not witnessing any sort of sexual tension between them wasn't relieving. At this point, he wasn't exactly ready for that part of the events just yet since he was still dealing with his own feelings towards Sasuke's catastrophic re-entrance in his life.

By the time he and Kiba got home, Naruto felt drained like he hadn't in a long time, his head feeling like it was about to explode.

"So, what did you think?" Kiba asked excitedly once they had removed their shoes and headed to the kitchen.

As Kiba rummaged through their old fridge, Naruto leaned his lower back on the marble counter next to it, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't know; he's okay I guess," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. Somehow, he felt like his mistake had forced him to be very careful about his words around Kiba.

"'_Okay'_?" Kiba repeated, chuckling as he fished out two cans of beer and passed one over to Naruto. "Come on, man; be honest! I won't be mad if you say he's hot, everyone at work wants to get tapped by him. He's just about everyone's type."

_Of course, he is,_ Naruto thought, internally groaning. "Fine, I admit he's way hotter than I expected," he muttered with a lie in the middle, snapping his can open. "And he seems nice, too. Aren't you feeling pressured, though? He's a lot to handle, being that good-looking and having such a powerful man as a relative; plus, he's your boss."

Kiba came to stand at Naruto's side, leaning back on the counter as well. "Nah, I overcame those stupid fears when we became friends, 'cause he's not a guy that cares about such things. He's actually a pretty humble person," he commented easily, opening his own can. "Yeah, it's kind of unprofessional, but at the same time, he's the boss, he can do whatever he wants, so I don't think it'll be a problem to him when we start dating."

Naruto, who was about to take a sip of his beer, stopped himself to glance at his friend from the corner of his eyes. "_When_?" he observed, eyebrows rising. "Have you two talked about it already?"

Kiba took two healthy swigs of his beer before lowering the can, smiling. "No, but that's because the moment hasn't exactly presented itself yet," he said, confidently. "We haven't exactly had enough time to be alone together in a while and properly talk about that kind of stuff."

"Ah," Naruto retorted vaguely, unsure of what to say. "Okay then. You always seem so sure about his feelings, I thought you two had already… _you know_. Hinted at _something_."

"Well, I guess we have," Kiba replied thoughtfully. "I don't know, it's just… little things, we can tell it's more than friendship, you know? It's like you and me, but with something else added up to the complicity, and it feels so real and comfortable that I just know it."

"Right." Naruto lowered his can, suddenly not in the mood to drink anymore. He looked at his friend seriously. "You're really into him, aren't you?"

Kiba snorted softly. "It was about time I found someone I liked," he said, brown eyes looking down at the floor. "After Hinata, I thought I'd never feel this sort of connection with another person ever again, but Sasuke is… I suppose, like her, he can keep me in check. And God knows how much I need that, heh?"

Naruto forced a smile, feeling both happy that Kiba was moving forward, and crestfallen for reasons he couldn't understand. "I guess you're right."

Kiba drank some more of the beverage in his hand before eyeing Naruto. "Is everything alright?" he asked, sounding concerned. "There's something off about you."

"I'm fine, just more tired than I initially thought," Naruto mumbled. "But I had a lot of fun, and I'm glad I got to meet Sasuke, finally, since he's so important to you."

Fuck, why was it suddenly so easy for him to blatantly lie? He had always hated lies and had many times berated others for lying. How hypocritical of him.

Kiba punched his arm affectionately. "You're my best friend, and you're the first person from our group of friends that I introduced him to," he admitted. "I really hope the two of you can get along, even if I'm sure we won't have much time to hang out the three of us with how chaotic things have been at work because of the new project."

Naruto nodded. Damn he was becoming a pro at faking smiles. "I'm sure it'll be fine, Kiba."

How he hoped that was true.

000

A few days later, Naruto was forced out of his couch by the doorbell of his apartment ringing. It was still early in the morning, which meant he had no idea who could it be at such a time, so he was undoubtedly surprised by the person he saw when he looked through the peephole.

Opening his door, he came face to face with last person he'd expected to see there.

"Sasuke?"

But Sasuke wasn't alone, no, because in his arms, a baby boy could be seen, not even a year old, Naruto suspected.

The baby had big, dark eyes like Sasuke's that looked at Naruto with interest, and his head carried a healthy amount of pitch-black hair that seemed to stand up in every direction possible. The baby was beautiful and cute, but the surprise Naruto felt was not diminished by the fact.

"Kiba isn't answering his phone and I was supposed to pick him up for work today but got late," Sasuke said, a little out of sorts, and clearly in a hurry. "The nanny is sick and bailed on me."

"Come on in," Naruto invited, a little dumbfounded. "Kiba left a while ago, I think he was late, too. He's probably already caught the train."

Glancing at Sasuke's figure briefly, Naruto noticed that he was wearing a dark blue suit that complimented him but also made him look strangely older and menacing - maybe that was the purpose.

Sasuke made an annoyed clicking sound with his tongue as he entered the apartment, Naruto closing the door behind him. "That idiot," he mumbled, with a frown. "It's probably for the best, though. I gotta see if I can find someone to stay with the kid or I won't be able to go to work today."

"I'm sure your uncle wouldn't mind," Naruto said sheepishly. It felt eerie to have Sasuke in his place, and with a baby nonetheless, so he barely knew how to carry himself or what to do with his feet.

"Naruto, even though I work for a family member, I have no power there and I don't like to have special benefits in the company, neither would my uncle give them to me," Sasuke retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Don't be mad, that's not something I'm supposed to know," Naruto replied, pouting. He looked at the baby once more, daringly poking his chubby cheek with a finger, making him smile and wave his tiny arms - already a sign of an easygoing child. "I didn't know you had a kid; he's really cute!"

"Thanks," Sasuke said, now softly smiling down at the baby in his arms, his expression suddenly so gentle it took Naruto by surprise. "His name is Itachi; he's nine months old."

_Itachi._ Naruto knew that to be the name of Sasuke's deceased older brother, and it was somehow so fitting that he thought that he should've guessed it. How could he not remember Sasuke's deep love for his sibling - a love that had wounded his young heart so much that it had nearly broken him?

Naruto chose not to comment on it. "Does Kiba know you have a kid?" He asked instead.

Sasuke's expression changed to one of confusion. "What kind of a stupid question is that?" he grunted, making Naruto almost cringe because, what was he expecting – of course Kiba had to know, since he and Sasuke were close.

It was just that Kiba had never mentioned this, and Naruto had to wonder why if it was such an important part of Sasuke's life and his whole as a person.

Looking down at his watch, Sasuke sighed. "I have to go. I'm sorry for bothering you."

"Not at all," Naruto muttered. He bit down on his lower lip as Sasuke turned around, baby Itachi turning his hairy head to look at Naruto with those big eyes of his.

"Hey, I can take care of your kid if you want," Naruto was saying before he could stop himself. "It's my day off today and I'm not doing anything, anyway."

Sasuke seemed surprised as he looked over his shoulder before turning to face Naruto again. He seemed to hesitate. "I'm not sure that's a good idea," he said, a strange look Naruto couldn't identify crossing his features.

"Why not? I used to babysit kids all the time when I was in college for extra cash because life was tough, and it made good money" Naruto told him, sincerely. "As long as you have everything he needs it'll be fine. You can trust me, you know?"

"I didn't say I didn't trust you," the other man replied, impatiently. Sasuke took a deep breath through his nose. "Fine, I'll accept your offer."

Naruto couldn't help but smile openly at him, stretching his arms out to the baby. "You're going to stay with me, Itachi; is that okay?"

The baby waved his arms excitedly again and released a small noise of happiness as Sasuke passed the baby to Naruto. Itachi immediately put a hand to Naruto's face to awkwardly but curiously scratch the whisker marks he had there.

"He ate about an hour ago and already sits without help. There's soup and mashed fruit for lunch and snacks," Sasuke informed practically, putting down the large colorful bag he had carried with him down on the floor against the wall. "Diapers and a change of clothes are also in his bag, as well as his cloth that he sometimes likes to sleep with."

"Yeah, yeah, calm your pants down, it'll be fine," Naruto assured him, vaguely wondering if it was Sasuke who cooked the baby's food himself or if he had a cook to do it for him. "I think he likes me already, don't you little guy?"

"Tah!" Itachi said, tapping Naruto's cheek with his tiny hand.

"Give me your phone number so I can call you," Sasuke said, fishing out his own mobile phone.

"Bossy, aren't you?" Naruto tried to joke, but Sasuke didn't seem like he was in the mood for bantering, eyeing him as if saying 'cut the crap, I'm waiting'. Huffing, Naruto gave him his cellphone number.

"I'll come pick him up as soon as I can," Sasuke said. "I texted you, so you have my personal mobile number as well. Give me a call if anything happens."

"Sure thing," Naruto replied. "Say goodbye to daddy, Chibi!"

Sasuke glared at him and went to his son to press a noisy kiss on his head and rub his back gently. "See you later, 'Tachi. Be a good boy and give Naruto a hard time."

It was Naruto's turn to roll his eyes. "Ah-ah, very funny."

Sasuke smirked at him, pretty teeth showing in a rather menacing way that was as scary as it was alluring, and Naruto could only imagine how many times he used it to his advantage. "I'll let you know that if something happens to my son I will cut your balls off with a spoon and make sure I shove them down your throat," Sasuke threatened, almost sweetly.

Naruto took a step back, hugging the child in his arms closer to him protectively. "Jesus Christ, Sasuke, that's no way to talk in front of a child! I could go to the police for verbal aggression you know?"

Throwing him another glare, his smirk disappearing, Sasuke opened the door. "Later."

"Later, weirdo."

With one final wave of his hand at Itachi, Sasuke left, closing the door behind him, and Naruto could finally release the breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding all along.

Damn, Sasuke was a difficult person to handle, but this shouldn't be news to Naruto, since he'd been a handful as a kid as well.

What the hell was he thinking, suggesting such a thing as babysitting Sasuke's kid? Not that he minded, but he knew that Sasuke would kill him if something went remotely wrong.

But Naruto didn't like how he and Sasuke felt so fucking distant, and this had seemed like a chance fallen from the sky, especially since he'd had no idea how to even begin approaching Sasuke without compromising things with Kiba. However, he would have to grab hold of every chance he had – he didn't want to lose Sasuke again now that they had found each other.

At least he _did_ trust Naruto, even if, at this point it was only because he was someone Kiba spoke well of, and that was a good thing, otherwise never in a million years would Sasuke leave his kid with him.

Maybe things weren't as dire between them as Naruto thought. After all, Sasuke had confessed to be happy to see him again.

Feeling a little more confident, Naruto looked down at the smiling baby in his arms and started carefully removing his red jacket. "Well, little guy, we're going to have some fun today!"

000

Itachi was, without a doubt, a loved baby, because he was well taken care of, impeccably dressed and clean, and very happy if his constant good-mood was any indication. From Naruto's experience, this said a lot about Sasuke as a parent. It was a reassuring, sweet thought.

Naruto guessed that, for Kiba to want to court Sasuke, the guy couldn't be married or in a relationship unless it was a secret one, and Naruto felt curious as to what might've happened to Itachi's mother and who she was.

Taking care of the baby had been easy for Naruto, who quickly arranged his small living room to accommodate him by putting blankets and pillows on the floor so Itachi could play, and it would come to be the same place where he'd change his diapers as well.

The bag Sasuke had left had been meticulously packed with the baby's essentials and nothing was missing, extra stuff obviously added for precaution in case it was needed. Naruto had no idea if Sasuke had been the one to arrange it, but he was impressed.

Itachi ate well and played easily by himself, only becoming a little grumpy when he started getting sleepy, but even then, Naruto put him down on his sofa and he fell asleep almost immediately, no pacifier needed or anything else.

When Sasuke returned a little after lunchtime Naruto was already feeling attached to the little guy. He had always liked kids and, modesty aside, he was good with them.

"That was fast," Naruto whispered as he guided Sasuke to the living room where the baby was still asleep.

"Yeah, I spoke with my father over the phone and he said he was free to stay with Itachi for the rest of the day," Sasuke explained, whispering as well. "I'm going to drop him off and head back to work. It's hectic today and I'll be home late."

Sasuke looked around the place, his eyes landing on the improvised playground Naruto had created on the floor before noticing Itachi sleeping soundly, completely relaxed. Again, he smiled that gorgeous smile that seemed to be directed only at the baby and approached the sofa with careful steps, Naruto's eyes following him.

That smile was really something he mused.

"I'd happily take care of him for as long as you needed he's a great kid and behaved impeccably," Naruto said, as he quickly gathered the baby's scattered things on the floor and put them back inside the bag for Sasuke to take as neatly as he could. "Hold on, I have his spoon and bottle in the sink, let me just fetch them."

As fast as he could, Naruto went to the kitchen to grab for the things, and when he returned to the living room, Sasuke already had the bag hanging from his shoulder and was holding the sleeping Itachi in his arms, having already wrapped him up in his blue blanket.

"Thank you for taking care of him," Sasuke thanked him with an almost formal nod of his head, and it sounded genuine. "How much do I owe you?"

Going to the other man, Naruto made a face while he put the bottle and spoon inside the bag, zipping it closed again. "You can't be fucking serious, Sasuke," he uttered, looking up at said man and finding Sasuke's eyes already on him, less intimidating than they had been so far.

"I am."

"I don't need your money;" Naruto declined, as if that much was obvious. "I did it because I wanted to do something for an old friend, that's all."

There he was, speaking without thinking and exposing his heart so bluntly when he had no idea how this adult version of Sasuke would react.

However, Sasuke didn't seem upset, looking back at him in silence as if trying to read the meaning behind the words said to him before finally speaking. "Well, there must be something I can do for you in return, and I won't take 'no' for an answer."

"Fine," Naruto acquiesced. "Come and hang out with me sometime, for a cup of coffee or something, and we'll call it even."

He couldn't tell if this was a surprising request to the other man or not, because Sasuke simply stared. "Is that all?" he ended up asking in plain way.

"It's enough."

"If it makes you happy, sure," Sasuke agreed, smoothly. "Let me know when you're free and I'll give you a call to let you know if I'm available."

If someone had offered to pay for all his bills Naruto doubted he'd be as happy as he was right now.

"Deal!"

Again, Sasuke offered him and unexpected smile that was simple, but that carried that supernatural beauty that sometimes peaked from behind his usual imposing apathy to take Naruto's breath away, just as it always did when they were kids.

It was hard getting used to it.

"Thanks again, Naruto."

"Any time, Sasuke."

Holding in his joy and feeling his head a little fuzzy for some reason, Naruto took Sasuke and Itachi to the door, daringly leaning down to kiss the baby's temple. "See ya around, Chibi," he said gently, so as to not wake him up.

Sasuke seemed to have reverted to his usual self because he threw Naruto another inscrutable look but didn't comment.

Still, as soon as they left and Naruto was alone, he let out a small exclamation of victory, bringing a hand to his chest. God, his heart was beating _fast _and he was sure he'd have a stroke if he had to tiptoe around Sasuke like this for much longer.

It wasn't fair that it felt like he was being punished by Sasuke, as if the guy was purposefully sending mixed signals to fuck with him, being an ass one moment, and nice the other.

It didn't matter either way, because Naruto now had the chance to fix things, and he would.

Naruto took a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly. Back then, it had been like this, only a bit worse. Sasuke had been weird and unapproachable only to revert things without notice and show sides of himself that were completely opposite. Balancing things had been hard for Naruto at the time.

However, if Naruto had been able to deal with him then, when things had been far direr for both them, he sure as hell would be able to deal with him now.

It was only a matter of time.

000

Kiba had been more than a little baffled at knowing that Naruto had momentarily taken care of Sasuke's child, but Naruto had wasted no time in reminding him that this was a fact about Sasuke that had been hidden from him. Luckily, this stopped Kiba from commenting further.

Despite now having Sasuke's cellphone number, truth was, Naruto dwelled a lot about whether he should give the man a call or not, and if yes, when and how should he approach him since he didn't want to be inconvenient, and neither did he want to call at a time when he could be with Kiba.

What also made Naruto hesitate was the possibility of being refused repeatedly. He knew it was probably just a stupid and childish fear since Sasuke seemed very willing to trust his child to him and to hang out as per Naruto's request, but the insecurities were still there. Sasuke was now as big of a mystery to him as he'd been in the past, and to Naruto, it felt as if he was being put through the hard task of unraveling the man all over again.

He could say that it was as nerve wracking as it was exciting.

After about a week had passed, Naruto finally gathered the courage to contact Sasuke, but decided that he wouldn't call him so as to not disturb him, so instead he texted him, boldly inviting him for lunch the next day, or a cup of coffee after work.

Sasuke took forever to reply – causing Naruto to almost have a nervous breakdown thinking he'd been rejected already – and when he finally did, it was after dinner time and Naruto was thankful that he was already in his own room, away from Kiba's always curious sight. The two ended up exchanging a few short messages to arrange for the meeting spot and the time, and Naruto couldn't be happier.

With things firmly settled and hope blossoming in his heart, Naruto was able to fall asleep with his soul at ease.

000

"I'm glad you could make it," Naruto said, as Sasuke approached him the next day at lunch time. As per Sasuke's suggestion, they had arranged to meet in front of a snack bar that was halfway between both their respective jobs. For Naruto, it would be a little tight time-wise since he had taken the subway there, while Sasuke traveled by car.

"Well, I'm very busy today, but there's no harm in taking a small lunch break, even if I seldom take it outside of the office," Sasuke replied, his face serious while his voice was nearly pleasant. He was wearing a suit just like the other day, and it made Naruto feel underdressed next to him, what with his orange pullover and worn out trousers. While Naruto didn't consider himself a bad-looking guy by no means, Sasuke had quite a nice figure that put any above average guy to shame,

"Heh, thanks for getting out of your way to meet me, then," Naruto said, with a smile, opening the door to the snack bar and gesturing for the other to go inside.

"Don't be silly," Sasuke dismissed easily, eyeing Naruto from head to toe openly before walking past him. "I did owe you."

"You owe me nothing," Naruto contradicted, with a frown. "Let's sit somewhere quiet, shall we?"

Given Sasuke's professional status, Naruto would have never guessed that he would even know a good snack bar, but the place was small, yet clean and modern looking, decorated in comfortable tones of pastel and baby blue, and ornamented by silvery round tables scattered about. The counter was a showcase filled with delicious looking pastries and cakes that Naruto had become instantly infatuated about.

The two men made their way to a secluded table on the corner next to the show window, Sasuke removing his blazer and neatly placing it on the back of his chair before sitting down, Naruto following his lead.

"This seems like a nice place," Naruto commented, looking around before picking up the colorful menu already in the middle of their table.

"Yeah, I've been coming here ever since I started working for my uncle, which was about four years ago," Sasuke explained, loosening the knot of his red tie. Naruto tried hard not to stare when pretty fingers undid the first two buttons of his white shirt, giving Sasuke a more casual and carefree look that was undoubtedly attractive.

_I must stop thinking this kind of things about him_, Naruto berated himself.

"Good afternoon, and welcome!" A cheery voice alerted Naruto to the arrival of a young brown-haired waitress who was smiling brightly at them. "Can I get you guys something?"

"Hi; I'll have the chicken salad and a bottle of water, please," Sasuke said pleasantly, clearly familiar with her, but not overly friendly.

Naruto hurriedly scanned the menu. "Ah… I'll take the beef burger special and a coke, if you don't mind."

"Sure thing!"

As the girl walked away, Sasuke crossed the fingers of both hands in front of his face, his elbows on the table. Naruto noticed that he had nice-looking hands with elegant fingers, nails carefully cut short and well taken care of.

"So, what brings us here today?" Sasuke asked casually, his attention fully on Naruto. "I was surprised when you asked me to hang out after you so quickly denied our past connection."

Coughing a little behind his fist in embarrassment, Naruto straightened up his spine with as much dignity as he possibly could. "You're not going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Not really, no," Sasuke said, with a small mischievous smirk that made Naruto sure that he was being teased.

"But, I already apologized," Naruto countered.

"And I already forgave you," Sasuke assured, his smirk firmly in place as he watched Naruto's next move.

Feeling a mixture of relief and hesitance, Naruto heaved a sigh. It felt as though Sasuke was taunting him, but at the same time, those dark eyes seemed to be evaluating him attentively with an intensity that was a little suffocating. Sasuke's stare was heavy on him and expressive, yet was difficult to read and it unnerved Naruto, even if he seemed to be in a good-mood that day.

Also, to his dismay, he felt strangely uncomfortable looking at Sasuke's face, not because he was afraid of him – not anymore at least – but because said face had the most perfect angles and the most fascinating expressions, and as an artist, Naruto wanted to _stare_ and examine every little detail but knew he wouldn't be able to do it as casually and effortlessly as Sasuke.

He couldn't quite explain it, but he didn't know how to handle himself when around Sasuke yet, maybe because this was still too overwhelming for him for the time being. However, it kind of irked him because this wasn't his usual confident, witty self, and this wasn't who he wanted Sasuke to see – who he had become _thanks_ to Sasuke.

Taking a deep breath through his nose and mentally cheering himself on, he leaned in a bit. "Look, Sasuke, I…" he started but had to clear his throat while he thought about how to convey what he wanted to say. He was glad Sasuke seemed to be one hundred percent focused on hearing him out. "I was really shocked that night, and it made me say things I shouldn't because… well, there is something else that made me react that way, but it's not really my place to tell you."

"Alright, I can accept that," Sasuke conceded, with an elegant nod of his head.

Naruto scratched the bridge of his nose with a finger before proceeding. "Truth is, ever since you left when that summer ended, I've been wanting to find you," he admitted, frankly. "After so many years I thought I'd never see you again, so finding you there with Kiba was just a little too overwhelming for me."

Sasuke's eyebrows rose. "That much was obvious."

"Don't tease me," Naruto said, making an offended face.

"I'm not." Sasuke didn't say anything else, hinting that he was waiting for the rest.

Taking the chance, Naruto proceeded. "I know we were kids, but I never really forgot about you," he said, and even though his own words made his cheeks warm up, he didn't falter. "I mean, you know you had an important role in my life back then, one I'm grateful for, even today."

To his happiness, Sasuke nodded, his eyes softening with an empathetic look. "I'm sure you know that I felt the same way about you, regardless of our divergences and my attitude at the time."

The confession made Naruto's heart skip a pleasant beat. "I had hoped so."

The other man was silent for a while, seemingly choosing his words. "You know, Naruto," he began, conversationally. "My mother passed away five years ago."

Eyes widening, Naruto instinctively leaned forward to put a hand on Sasuke's arm. "Holy shit, I'm so sorry to hear about that!"

Grey eyes looked down at the hand on his arm before looking up to meet with blue eyes again. "Well, that's how life goes, and we have to raise our heads and move forward," Sasuke muttered. "_Someone_ taught me that."

"Sounds like frivolous advice," Naruto replied, with a lopsided smile.

"It wasn't." Sasuke heaved a small sigh, frowning. "What I'm trying to say is that, after my mother's funeral, I went back to your town to look for you at your farm, but no-one was there."

Without really noticing it, Naruto's hand tightened on Sasuke's arm, his heart racing absurdly. "You… you did?"

"I asked around, but the inhabitants didn't seem to know what happened to your family."

There it was, that thing that made it impossible for Naruto to breathe. That was completely unexpected because, even if Sasuke remembered him, never would Naruto have guessed that he would've actively tried to find him.

Naruto had tried finding Sasuke through social media years later once he got to the city, but there was no trace of him, and he knew little to nothing about where he lived, only that he travelled a lot and didn't have a steady hometown, reason why he and Naruto hadn't exchanged addresses.

"Five years ago, was when I finally had enough money to pay for college," Naruto told Sasuke, incredulously. "I moved to the city and my parents sold the farm because it was too big for just the two of them to handle, so they purchased a smaller one in the next town."

Sasuke nodded once, solemnly. For some reason, he seemed suddenly crestfallen. "I see."

For about half a minute, neither spoke, and Naruto was so marveled at what Sasuke had told him that, as opposed to a while ago, he absolutely could not look away from him. Sasuke eyes held something kind in them now and seemed to lure him in with fascination.

This person had wanted to see Naruto as much as Naruto had wanted to see him. Sasuke had thought about him just as much, and it felt like a dream come true. These things didn't happen, not to him, but he was so immensely glad right now he couldn't even express it properly other than staring at that gorgeous man with mouth agape.

A hand being placed upon his woke Naruto up from his trance, making him realize that he'd been squeezing Sasuke's arm and that Sasuke was touching him in a rather intimate way that was kind, but firm.

Instant fear made him break the touch by snatching his hand away, causing something akin to hurt to flash over Sasuke's features for a barely a second, and Naruto regretted his reaction instantly, but there was little he could do now.

"I can't believe you went back to look for me!" Naruto said with a nervous chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.

Sasuke was going to say something but was interrupted by their waitress that had once more approached their table with a tray carrying their respective drinks and two tall glasses.

"There you go gentlemen!" she said, once she placed everything in front of them. "Your food should be out in a minute."

"Thanks," Naruto said, grinning at her.

Sasuke chose to nod at her instead, who smiled back at them both before retreating.

They wasted a bit of time as they poured their drinks over their glasses. Naruto tried not to stare at Sasuke's elegant, yet relaxed gestures. He wondered if Sasuke was upset at their broken contact, but the man had closed his expression off quite subtly.

"It was unfortunate that I couldn't find you," Sasuke then proceeded conversationally, as if nothing had happened, putting his bottle of water down and picking up his glass, clearly wanting to talk further about the subject. "At the time, I was… let's say that I was kind of looking for solace, so not finding you at your farm felt as if I had lost the ground under my feet."

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke," Naruto muttered, shaking his head from side to side, feeling genuinely regretful. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me."

Sasuke sipped on his water before setting the glass down. "Don't be stupid. How could you possibly know?"

"But, still…"

"It doesn't matter anymore, Naruto," Sasuke cut, carefully. "I wasn't mad, but I was worried that something serious might've happened." He seemed to offer Naruto a meaningful look. "Plus… it was hard knowing I definitely had no way of contacting you anymore."

To his frustration, Naruto found himself blushing helplessly. "I can't believe you wanted to see me as much as I wanted to see you," he whispered, torn between sadness for Sasuke's sake, longing for what could have been, and an overflowing joy that they had shared similar feelings for years.

"Why is it so hard to believe?" Sasuke asked, with a simple shrug. "That was a special summer for both of us."

Unable to stop his own thoughts, Naruto caught himself wondering if Sasuke had been in love with him back then, as well.

Had he been Sasuke's first love, too? Did Sasuke still carry remnants of those feeling with him to this very day, like Naruto did?

The mere possibility made his stomach churn in pleasure and eagerness, but he quickly stopped his mind from wandering down dangerous paths.

Even if it was difficult for him not to dive in head first into everything that was Sasuke, Naruto didn't want to get in Kiba's way like that, it wouldn't be right.

Plus, what did he know about Sasuke's feelings now?

"Yeah, it was," he agreed quietly. Then, he bit down on his lower lip and chose his words cautiously. "Can we be friends now, Sasuke? Make it up for all those years we've been away from each other?"

Snorting, Sasuke shook his head from side to side. "Idiot, you don't have to ask," he said, with an ease that made Naruto's heart do funny things. "Although, I don't know how you plan to do that without telling Kiba the truth."

"Well, he's dying for you and me to become friends, so I guess that won't be a problem," Naruto replied, laughing a bit, more because of the feeling of lightness he had at Sasuke's reply than anything else. "We just can't be too familiar when he's around, I guess."

"Thanks to _someone_ making things troublesome," Sasuke berated, with a light frown. Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. Sasuke flipped him off and Naruto couldn't stop himself from smiling in a completely carefree way. Sasuke smiled back, and heavens, he had the simplest and purest smile for someone who's gaze almost made people shit their pants.

Even if Naruto had always known that Sasuke – being beautiful as a child – would become an attractive adult, he hadn't expected that he would've turned into this stunning piece of man, and he couldn't be indifferent if he tried.

In different circumstances, Naruto would've let his feelings guide him – and he had many, both form the past and present. Somehow, he desperately wanted to become invested in Sasuke, and this wasn't something he'd actively wanted to do for a lot of people. There was so much that they had to make up for, so many years, so many stories to tell, and so many things to talk about.

Their future was a blank notebook that Naruto wanted to write in.

Regardless of the wall between them, losing Sasuke again was not an option.

Still, this easy sort of interaction was more like them – a more mature version of 'them' – but it was clear that Sasuke wasn't walking on thin ice around him. In fact, Sasuke seemed perfectly comfortable talking to him, behaving as if they were old friends, openly talking about his feelings and it was soothing and refreshing, and more than Naruto could ever ask for.

It was amazing how well things were going.

Naruto found that it was easier to look at Sasuke now, maybe because Sasuke looked back so effortlessly.

"Hey, I know it's been a while, but I can't wait for us to get to know each other again and stuff," Naruto said, unable to hold in his excitement, glad that he could feel less burdened, his fears completely gone. "I mean, you have no idea how happy I am that we're here right now."

"I'm glad, as well," Sasuke admitted, almost politely.

The waitress came with their food soon after, as promised, and Naruto wasted no time in digging in, his new found good-spirits making him hungry.

"So, what's the deal with Itachi?" he asked while munching on a fry, as Sasuke took his time dressing his salad.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but that's a subject I'm not very comfortable talking about for the time being," the other man said, a somber look crossing his features. "That's a story not even my own family knows the whole truth about."

"Jeez, sounds conspicuous," Naruto commented, a little disappointed.

"It is."

"So, you don't have a wife, or a lover?" Naruto chose to ask, to not press the previous subject.

"None that's worth mentioning," Sasuke replied, dismissively. "What about you? I thought you'd be the type to be married with kids at this age already, and yet, Kiba told me you're leading a debauched life."

"That retard! That's a lie!" Naruto bellowed, affronted. "It's not a debauched life, I just don't exactly date, that's all."

That damn Kiba, why did he have to talk to Sasuke about his sex life of all things!

Calmly, Sasuke stuck his fork in a piece of chicken in his salad and brought it to his mouth. "Why not?"

"I used to, but I'm too busy with work and I simply haven't found the right person yet," Naruto explained, truthfully. "Also, it's easier to just be casual sometimes."

"Right," the other man said, with a knowing smirk. "So, you're a one-night stand kind of guy."

"Shut up, that's not it!" Naruto denied firmly. "I have a few acquaintances I'm with from time to time. It's not like I can't keep it in my pants, Sasuke, I just don't have a romantic interest for the time being."

Even if he was saying this, Naruto wondered how much of that was true. For a moment, he wondered if he should even be saying something like this, or if this was something he even wanted to say to Sasuke.

"You don't need to be defensive, I'm just teasing you," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes at him. "I'm not here to judge you; I'm just curious."

Naruto scrunched up his nose suspiciously. "Curious about my sex life?"

"You're an attractive man, but you definitely look like you have none, that's why."

If Naruto had been punched in the face he wouldn't have felt this gut wrenching feeling of…

_What_ was that exactly?

All he knew what that Sasuke was saying he was attractive. He barely registered the teasing comment afterwards, so he had to rewind and get a hold of himself.

He blinked several times. "Fuck you," he said, but without malice. "Says the guy who has his whole department fawning all over him, and yet looks frigid like a nun."

Sasuke released a small laugh at this, and even his laughter seemed like something out of this world to Naruto, who remembered exactly how enchanting hearing it had been as a kid.

"Kiba has a big mouth," Sasuke said, shrugging his shoulders. "Trust me, I'm far from being frigid; I'm simply being professional by not responding to the attention."

"And I look like I don't get laid just so I can attract more suitors with my innocent aura," Naruto contradicted playfully.

"Oh, you think you look innocent?" Sasuke said, condescendingly. "Aren't you just being cocky?"

Naruto grinned. "Maybe."

However, he felt his smile fading a little as he picked up his hamburger. He felt like Sasuke had given him an opening to talk about _it_, so he supposed he could approach _that_ subject – it would be better if they got it out of the way now rather than later.

He took a bite of his burger. Sasuke ate as well, but he noticed Naruto's anxious stare, so he quirked up his eyebrows questioningly. "What?" he inquired carefully, through a mouthful of lettuce and tomato.

Naruto lowered his hamburger. "I don't know if Kiba told you, and maybe this is not relevant to the conversation, but I'm not straight," he confessed. "I mean, I'm not gay, I go for all genders, but I just don't want it to be an issue between us."

To his relief, Sasuke didn't seem fazed. "Why would it be an issue between us?" he inquired. "Kiba isn't straight either, it was never an issue with him and we're good friends."

"Yeah, I guess." Pressing his lips together, Naruto hesitated.

Kiba was sure Sasuke swung both ways, but truth was, he was pretty much into his own fantasy that he and Sasuke had something going on without really being _certain-certain_, which meant that Sasuke had never openly admitted to _not _being straight, not even to Kiba, or so Naruto deduced.

Well, Sasuke had a child, which at least alluded to a previous relationship with a woman.

Easily reading his demeanor, Sasuke put his cutlery down. "Come on, Naruto, don't be a pussy and ask away," he encouraged, smirking teasingly, and for fuck's sake, why was everything about the guy so fucking seductive?

Nevertheless, if Sasuke was going to be open about it, he might as well go for it.

"Are you straight?" he asked, and unsure of why his voice faltered ever so slightly.

Sasuke leaned in conspicuously and gave him a very charming, almost cheeky smirk. "No."

This should make no difference to Naruto, yet it surprisingly did because he almost heaved a sigh. He and Sasuke were going to be friends and it wasn't as if Sasuke's sexuality would interfere in any of that, but still, he couldn't help but be happy.

He tried to tell himself that it was for Kiba's sake, but the prospect of Sasuke really sharing some chemistry with Kiba suddenly seemed…

_Stop that,_ Naruto berated himself again. _Don't do this._

"You seem happy," Sasuke commented perceptively.

"Ah, well, yeah," Naruto said, embarrassed. "It's easier to communicate certain things when we share similarities, you know? Someone's sexuality can be a barrier sometimes."

"I suppose so," Sasuke agreed, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully as they stuck on Naruto, evaluatively. "I guess I owe you for allowing me to understand mine."

It didn't take a genius to understand what Sasuke was referring to, and Naruto, picking up on the innuendo, felt himself burn from head to toe.

"No way," he said, picking up a napkin to clean his fingers with so he could do something with his nervous hands. "That's not true, Sasuke."

"It is."

"You said it was gross!" Naruto reminded him, shocked. "On _both_ times!"

"Yeah, because I was a stupid brat," Sasuke affirmed. He tilted his head to the side, clearly amused. "But that was not how I felt."

_Oh, no…_

Putting his hands together, Naruto brought them to his mouth, stupefied, eyes wide open as he shook his head from side to side. "That… _situation_ was what helped _me_ figure out my sexuality, too."

This time, it was Sasuke's turn to look cocky, clearly expecting that answer from Naruto. "Of course, it was."

Naruto was too stunned to be affronted, because it simply felt like it was too good to be true that, indeed, he and Sasuke had shared the same feelings all along, even in respect to that.

He was so ecstatic he didn't know what to do with himself, and he didn't know what to make of Sasuke's intimate, knowing look – he felt like smacking that arrogant expression out of his face it was so embarrassing.

But Sasuke did have a reason to be arrogant because he _had_ been that much of an influence in Naruto's life for these many years, and he knew it.

So, Naruto just huffed and whispered a falsely upset "Fuck you."

Sasuke laughed, and more than anything, Naruto thought that it wasn't fair that fate had brought them together at such an unfortunate time.

What he wouldn't give to turn back time and be found by Sasuke five years ago.

TBC...

* * *

I hope you guys have enjoyed this chapter! I know I enjoyed writing it, especially because now things can start to evolve.

I remind you that I have a twitter account NoChidoriUchiha and a Ko-fi one as well!

See ya next time, and don't forget to let me know your thoughts!


	3. His Charm

**A/N: It's been nearly four months but alas I am back with a new chapter, and it's huge! Get ready for things to take an interesting turn ;)**

**I didn't have time to write for a long time, and once I did, I lacked inspiration, but our Holy God's of the SNS happened and blessed me so I could finally bring this chapter to you! I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Not betaed. Please forgive the horrible typos you might find.**

* * *

** Melting**

**Chapter 3: His Charm**

Laying stark naked on his bed, Naruto looked up at the ceiling of his dimly lit room, his breathe ragged. He felt sweaty and sticky, and still hadn't found the strength to remove the filled condom from his quickly deflating cock.

Placing his wrist over his forehead, he narrowed his eyes at the ceiling, wondering why he felt so utterly dissatisfied when he'd just had great sex with a woman whom he had once considered wife material.

That was in the past, though, because now they merely had coffee together to catch up and occasionally hooked up for stress relief before both going their separate ways again.

Turning his head to his left, he saw the slim naked back of his ex-girlfriend as she quickly put on her lacy black bra before moving to pick her matching panties and the green dress that had been dropped somewhere on the floor.

In silence, Naruto watched her put the panties on, then the dress, taking a while to appreciate the woman's simple beauty. Sakura had always had a low self-esteem for some reason, but Naruto himself had thought that she was pretty and didn't understand why she thought so poorly of herself. Then again, isn't it true that one is always blind to the flaws of the person they're in love with?

Although, now that Naruto thought about it, he couldn't exactly remember why he thought he'd been in love back then. Sakura had been a good friend, and someone he had admired to a certain extent, but in the end, he realized that he had idealized her as the perfect woman for himself for reasons he couldn't quite remember, and had completely disregarded that these things he had longed for were mere desires of his own heart and not corresponding to the reality of who she was, nor of what being in a relationship would be.

Well, he was older now, and his troubled relationship with Sakura would come to open his eyes to the other relationships he'd have in the next few years.

Nowadays, Naruto couldn't help but wonder if the problem had been his lovers or if it was just him who gave himself so much that he expected too much out of people in return.

"We should go back to dating," Sakura said conversationally, turning to him and fixing the straps of her flowy dress.

Naruto's eyebrows rose. "I don't think that's a good idea," he muttered.

Sakura frowned at him. "Why not? I know things weren't very good back then, but we're older now, and somehow it feels like we fit better at this point than we did before."

Naruto had to smirk a bit at her. "Because the sex has been getting better?" he teased, before lazily moving to a sitting position.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "No, silly; because we don't fight as much as we used to," she explained, running her fingers through her pink hair to comb it. "I thought you'd want to settle down by now? Or are you going to sleep around forever?"

"Look who's talking," Naruto said defensively, finally looking down and lazily removing the condom from his already soft cock.

"What are you talking about, you're my only sex partner!" Sakura retorted, leaning over to smack his leg hard with a finely manicured hand.

"Ouch, that hurt!" Naruto complained, looking up at her with a pout. "Come on, Sakura; you and I both know stuff would never work between us at this point. You don't like me like that anymore."

She crossed her arms over her chest, frowning as she watched him tie a knot on the condom before dropping it on his nightstand.

"We're friends, and I do still like you enough to do _this _with you at will," she said. "Some feelings don't just explode in a person, you know? We should take advantage of what's still there and nurture it."

Naruto threw his legs over the edge of the bed, feet landing on the wooden floor, and smiled up at her. "I don't think it will ever turn out well if both parties have to 'nurture it' to make it work, Sakura," he said, shaking his head from side to side. "You either love someone and want to be with them or you don't; you don't just get together because you don't want to be alone."

He reached out a hand and tugged at the hem of her dress with his index and thumb. "I sincerely don't think either of us genuinely wants to put that much effort into it."

Sakura patted his hand away. "You're hopeless," she huffed. For a moment, Naruto could swear he saw a flash of disappointment cross her minty eyes. "I sometimes think you either don't want to be in a relationship at all because it's much effort or are already in love with someone who doesn't love you back."

Naruto's smile froze in place. He didn't really understand why that sentence had given him an odd feeling he didn't appreciate, but felt like, somehow, Sakura had hit something inside him without even knowing.

"Well, whatever weirdo; I still have to meet up with Ino for dinner so I'm off!" Sakura said, throwing her hands to the air and looking around. "Now where the hell are my shoes…"

Just as Sakura found her shoes and put them on, the door to Naruto's room was unceremoniously opened - startling both Sakura and Naruto -, Kiba's head peeking inside. "You guys done fucking?" he asked, with a shit eating grin that couldn't be more pleased if he tried.

"Jesus Christ, idiot; don't just barge inside as if you own the place!" Sakura yelled, angrily.

"As a matter of fact, I do own _half_ the place, for your information," Kiba said with amusement as Sakura made her way towards the door. "Someone's looking refreshed!" Kiba then added, with a satisfied smirk while stepping to the side so she could exit the room.

"Fuck you, Kiba," she said, flipping him off.

"Yeah, nice seeing you too," he said, laughing and waving her goodbye. Kiba then looked inside the room again just as Naruto was putting a pillow over his private parts for decency's purpose. "Naru, now that you're done getting laid for the week, let's go out!"

"Huh? But it's dinner time and I'm tired!" Naruto whined. "Where the hell do you wanna go at this hour?"

"There's this hangout at a co-worker's place tonight, it's nothing special," Kiba explained, coming inside the room and making his way towards the window to draw open the purple curtains. "We could drop by and have a couple drinks, then we'd come back home?"

Naruto sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. God, he felt tired. "What's the deal Kiba?" he asked suspiciously. "You never want to go out on a Friday night unless there's a catch."

"Well, Sasuke's gonna be there," Kiba said conversationally, opening the window. "This room smells like fluids I don't want think about, man."

"What did you expect?" Naruto muttered, stretching his arms over his shoulders while making a face.

Of course, Kiba wanted to see Sasuke. Now that he thought about it, Naruto wouldn't mind seeing Sasuke, too. They had exchanged a few text messages after their lunch together but hadn't really seen each other again, which had been unfortunate but not unexpected. Just because he and Sasuke were now rekindling their old friendship, considering Kiba didn't know about it, it wasn't as if they could just arrange to meet casually in any given opportunity, not to mention that Sasuke had Itachi and was a busy man.

But, if Naruto had to be honest with himself, he _had_ been thinking about Sasuke more often than he'd like to admit.

Still, even if the prospect of seeing Sasuke again was good, Naruto knew he couldn't make too much of a fuss about it or Kiba would suspect.

"Look, if you want to go, just go," Naruto ended up saying, feigning boredom. "Why do you have to drag me along?"

"Because you love meeting new people!" Kiba said enthusiastically as he turned to him. "I've got pretty good-looking people at work, who knows if you don't get lucky again, heh?"

This time, Naruto was genuinely offended. "What am I, a whore?"

"I'm just messing with you," Kiba said, waving his hand dismissively. "Come on; it'll be fun! We'll eat something on the way."

With a sigh, Naruto shrugged. "Fine."

Of course, he wouldn't admit to being just a little bit excited.

**_Sixteen Years Ago_**

_"Weirdo!"_

_"Look at him, so ugly!"_

_"Those things on his face make him look like an animal!"_

_"Ugly! Ugly Naruto!"_

_In a crouched position as he hugged his knees with one arm, Naruto listened to the insults of the three boys behind him as he drew circles on the dirt beneath him with a wooden stick. He was doing his best to ignore them, but his eyes were already filled with tears that he stubbornly refused to let flow, his lips pressed tight together. And here he had thought that summer vacations away from school would bring him some peace, but it seemed like, no matter where he was, stupid bullies always seemed to follow just because they had nothing better to do with their time._

_Sometimes, Naruto was so tired of it he just wanted to run away to a different country._

_"We shouldn't get close or we might get the same disease he has!"_

_"Might as well leave, then," Naruto muttered to himself, his lower lip trembling from sadness and frustration._

_Not five seconds went by when he felt a hand landing heavily on his shoulder and tightening around his t-shirt, forcibly pulling him up so he was standing. He was brusquely turned around, so he was facing the chubby face of the boy in front of him who was a schoolmate of his - Shinichi was his name. _

_Both of Shinichi's hands fisted the collar of Naruto's white t-shirt. "You got something to say, weirdo?" He asked, threateningly shaking Naruto. "Speak up so I can hear you!"_

_"Leave me alone, I want nothing to do with you guys!" Naruto yelled, putting up a strong, defensive face even though his heart was beating fast with the fear of something he already knew far too well._

_"Who do you think you are to talk to me like that, monster?" Shinichi yelled, shaking Naruto even more violently. "Apologize!"_

_Naruto's hands came to grab the other boy's wrists, trying to free himself. "No! Let go…" he hissed, through gritted teeth. He could hear the other two boys cackling and coming closer, and he hated how weak he felt and how, with every step they took, his hands and arms seemed to lose their strength and will to fight. Whoever said that fear made you stronger was completely mistaken, he thought miserably, because it hadn't helped him once. _

_Suddenly, a dry 'pock' sound could be heard, and next thing Naruto knew, Shinichi was releasing a pained gasp. One of his hands let go of Naruto's collar so he could bring it to his left temple as he looked around. "Who did that!" he called out angrily. _

_That's when Naruto's mind registered that Shinichi had been attacked - with (or by) what, Naruto didn't know. _

_Filled with renewed hope, Naruto noticed the other two boys looking around frantically while searching for the perpetrator. Not even five seconds went by when - Naruto noticed this time - another small pebble accurately hit Shinichi's cheek, causing him to groan in pain. The other two boys seemed to have been hit as well because they recoiled in on themselves, protecting themselves with their arms shielding their faces._

_"Three against one; that's the biggest cowardice I've ever seen," an unfamiliar dry, yet smooth voice said. "Let go of him."_

_Naruto's head quickly snapped to the side to meet the voice. His blue eyes immediately landed upon the form of a boy their age that he had never seen before, registering that his left hand was cupping a good amount of pebbles while his right one was already holding one between his index finger and thumb. _

_Shinichi, too, had taken notice of the newcomer. "Who the hell are you?" he asked defiantly._

_The unknown boy lifted his hand up, casually showing the pebble between his fingers. "Let. Him. Go. **Now**."_

_"Make me!"_

_For some reason, Naruto found his heart beating even faster, but this time, it wasn't from fear, no, but from excitement and fascination. He urgently gazed at his savior from up and down and the first thought he had as his breath got stuck in his lungs was that the boy looked like an angel in reverse, with hair and eyes that were as dark as night and features so light and perfect they didn't seem real. His gaze, though, was terrifying as he looked at the three boys around Naruto like vultures. _

_Naruto barely registered the moment the boy threw the pebble at Shinichi again, because this time, Shinichi finally let him go, causing Naruto to fall on his ass. He heard the three boys yelling and cursing but couldn't make out what was happening. Frantically, Naruto looked from the boy to his harassers, trying to understand what was going on - it seemed that the boy had outstanding aiming skills and was consecutively throwing stones at Shinichi and the other two, hitting them every single time flawlessly and with a force that couldn't exactly be considered light. _

_Naruto couldn't help but gasp in awe. That had to the be coolest thing he had ever seen in his life._

_"Stop that, asshole!"_

_"Ouch!"_

_"I'm getting you for this!"_

_But as the boy kept silently hitting them with the pestering pebbles, they were withdrawing until finally they started running away until they couldn't be seen anymore. _

_Shocked, Naruto stared up at the unknown boy, watching him with his mouth open as he dropped the remaining pebbles to the ground and patted his hands against his cream-colored shorts, a bored look on his pretty face._

_"That was so fragging' cool!" Naruto breathed excitedly, getting up at once and running to the boy with a nervous, yet huge smile. "Thanks for helping me! I'm Naruto!"_

_Extending his shaky hand to the boy, Naruto felt expectant. He was still trembling for the rush of the events and couldn't seem to stop, but damn if he wasn't going to befriend this person._

_The boy's dark eyes as they looked down at the offered hand were deep and oddly intense, but now that Naruto looked closely, they weren't pitch black, no, but of a steely color that seemed almost liquid under the sunlight, and it had to be the prettiest color he had ever seen. _

_Those eyes looked up to find Naruto's blue ones, and they were so serious and firm that he couldn't help but swallow hard. The boy didn't smile at all._

_For a few seconds, those strong, cold eyes were glued to Naruto's in silence, and there was nothing in them to give the boy's thoughts away as he seemed to simply look._

_Then, the boy finally spoke. "I didn't do it for you, pathetic loser," he said flatly, shoving his hands inside the pockets of his shorts and ignoring Naruto's extended one. "I just couldn't stand seeing the injustice of them ganging up on a weakling."_

_Naruto gasped in horror, completely unprepared for the brutal words thrown his way. In a heartbeat, his admiration towards the pretty and cool boy that had saved him turned to disappointment and anger._

_"I'm not a weakling!" Naruto snapped, irritably. "What the hell do you know, anyway? If I'm so pathetic then you should've stayed in your corner instead of trying to be the hero!"_

_"Says the guy who was going to end up on the ground, beaten up to a pulp and crying like a baby," the boy said, rolling his eyes. "Think about having some pride and defending yourself before saying that to me."_

_Again, the boy's smooth voice hit Naruto like a literal punch, and he took a step back, his voice stuck in his throat because he couldn't think of a single thing to refute it._

_The boy was sort of right and it pissed Naruto off. It made him feel horrible about himself, weak, and yes, pathetic. _

_He pressed his lips together, feeling tears burning his eyes. Just when he thought he'd found a friend, this… this asshole had to come and ruin everything and made him feel terrible. As if he didn't have enough people to do that already._

_At seeing the tears in Naruto's eyes, the boy rolled his own again and sighed, clearly annoyed. Shaking his head from side to side, he walked past Naruto without another word._

_Without moving, Naruto heard him walking away with calm, yet steady steps. He clenched his fists hard and sniffed, closing his eyes to stop the tears from falling. Then, taking a deep breath, be turned on his heels to face the boy's retreating back._

_"You're an asshole!" he yelled, frustrated. "I thought we were going to be friends! You're not as cool as you think you are, you hear me!"_

_"As if I'd ever be friends with a scared cat like you, dumbass!" The boy said, without once looking back._

_Chest swelling in anger, Naruto bit the inside of his cheeks as he watched the boy walking away. Even in such a situation, there was something about the way the asshole moved that was pretty cool, damn it._

_Naruto swore that he would not cry, even if, right now, he felt so hopeless and alone that crying out the weight in his heart was everything he wanted to do. But he wouldn't. The guy knew nothing about him, or what he'd gone through - he shouldn't take to heart things that a stranger had sputtered out without knowing him._

_He didn't know who this stupid asshole with a flawless aim was, but he'd find out and he would show him that he was no weakling. He'd beat his ass and make him regret ever having insulted and underestimated him. _

_Naruto would force that mysterious kid to find him just as cool as he was._

**_Present_**

Oddly enough, Naruto was feeling rather energetic as soon as he stepped outside into the approaching night with his best friend. Kiba's good mood was infectious, which also helped. The weather was warm, and the sky was still painted in hues of pink and orange, even though, in the city, the beauty of it could easily go unnoticed. In times like these, Naruto missed the country dearly and wished that he could go back, even if for a short while, just to see the amazing sunsets and sunrises there.

Vaguely, he remembered the first time he and Sasuke watched the sun rising together and a small smile graced his lips until Kiba woke him up from his memories.

They ended up stopping to get some burritos that they munched on as they made their way to Kiba's co-worker's place. Naruto couldn't say that he was looking forward to meeting people tonight per se - after all, he'd already gotten laid and didn't feel like finding random prey. He honestly just wanted a chance to talk to Sasuke again and ask about Itachi.

Kiba had gotten all dressed up, but Naruto had merely taken a shower and put on the first pair of pants and t-shirt that he could get his hands on.

They had to take the subway to get to their destination, but the commute was easy, even for a Friday night.

Kiba's co-worker lived in a quiet and modern neighborhood, the tall building holding three apartments per floor, and by the time they stood in front of said co-worker's black wooden door, Naruto was feeling a lot more in the mood for fun than he'd been an hour ago.

The door was opened by a somber looking red-head with deep green eyes and a messy hair. At first glance, Naruto thought he looked a bit intimidating, but upon further inspection, he realized that the guy was good looking in a dark, mysterious way. He was Naruto's type, and just the kind of person he would do anything to force a smile out of.

Green eyed guy looked at Naruto and Kiba from up and down without smiling. "Good evening," he greeted in a deep, vacant but polite voice.

"Gaara, my man!" Kiba said, with a huge smile. "How are you doing? This is my friend, Naruto. I told you he might tag along tonight, remember?"

Unblinking eyes turned to Naruto. "I remember," he said simply. Wordlessly, he extended a hand towards Naruto, who grabbed for it, and only then, did he say, "Nice to meet you; I'm Gaara."

"Nice to meet you too, Gaara," Naruto said, offering the guy a genuine smile. For some reason he took an instant liking to him. "Thanks for having me!"

"Please, come in," Gaara said, stepping out of the way so the two men could enter the apartment. "Make yourselves at home."

"Gaara is kind of weird, I don't really see much of him since we're in the same room but in different departments," Kiba explained in a whisper as Gaara closed the door and they made their way through the narrow corridor. "Sasuke's good friends with him though, I don't know why."

"Well, he is good looking so, maybe Sasuke's into him and not you?" Naruto teased, with a mischievous smile, following his friend since he already seemed to know which way he wanted to go.

"Don't even joke about that!" Kiba warned, punching Naruto's arm as they entered what Naruto quickly recognized as the kitchen. The also contemporary space wasn't big at all, so it was kind of hard to miss the single tall and elegant figure standing in front of the dark marbled counter with their back to them.

Just as easily as Naruto, Kiba recognized the man. "Sasuke, my dude!" he said with instant joy, spreading his arms and causing said man to turn around to face them. "Oh, it's nice to see you!"

Kiba's arms surrounded Sasuke's neck in a strong hug that didn't really seem to faze the man, who merely smiled a bit and allowed himself to hug back, but not as tightly for dignity's purpose. "Not like we haven't seen each other this morning, but it's nice to see you too, mutt," Sasuke said, as Kiba pulled away with a huge grin, and this is when Sasuke's eyes finally landed on Naruto. "Hello, Naruto."

Only then did Naruto fully take notice of the way Sasuke looked - he was wearing a snuggling pair of jeans and a nice black t-shirt that lovingly hugged his very nice torso and showed all the good assets that were hidden underneath. As if the simple, yet flattering attire wasn't enticing enough, Naruto found himself suddenly both surprised and fascinated by the silvery and discrete piercing he could see in the corner of Sasuke's right eyebrow, as well as the ring one that adorned the left corner of his lower lip. It was oddly fitting.

When Naruto thought about the rude, rebellious teenager Sasuke used to be, it was easy to imagine that he would end up with a few piercings and tattoos - now that he considered it, did Sasuke have tattoos, too? He couldn't help but hope that he did.

Either way, considering how the current Sasuke tended to be so responsible and poised all the time, Naruto would never have guessed that he'd be the type of guy to be into that.

It didn't particularly matter because Naruto was _very_ into that indeed and it bothered him immensely at this moment.

"Hi, Sasuke, you look hot," he blurted out without thinking. It didn't take Kiba's sudden snap of his head in his direction for him to correct himself loudly. "I mean, isn't it hot in here? Such a small kitchen, am I right? How's Itachi by the way?"

Sasuke was obviously amused, crossing his arms over his chest. "He's fine, thank you for asking."

Kiba frowned at Naruto, suspiciously so, which made him feel even more nervous. "I'm just gonna go say hi to everyone else," Kiba announced. "You wanna come Naruto?"

"I already did," Naruto threw, before shaking his head from side to side in disbelief. Why couldn't he just fucking _shut up_? "Sorry, not yet. I've already said enough crap for one night. I'm fine here; Sasuke will take care of me."

That _still_ sounded so bad in his mind he wanted to die.

"Weirdo," Kiba said, scrunching up his nose. "I'll be back in a second."

As soon as Kiba left the kitchen, Naruto heaved a long and relieved sigh. Him and his big mouth. Even at such an age he hadn't been able to control the outburst of impulsive things that left his throat unthinkingly, and this trait only got worse if he got nervous or found himself in a complicated situation.

"I detect that a certain someone is fidgety," Sasuke commented, with a knowing smirk.

Naruto couldn't help but blush. For sure Sasuke, being clever as he was, had picked up on the not so subtle innuendos Naruto had let escape. "Not really, just… I talk too much sometimes?"

Sasuke's eyebrows quirked upwards. "What am I missing?"

"Nothing you need to know, to be honest," Naruto quickly dismissed. His eyes looked around the kitchen so he could find a new topic of conversation to spare himself the humiliation.

Behind Sasuke he noticed that, on top of the marbled counter, he could see several bottles of alcoholic beverages and all sorts of glasses on display, strategically placed so people would easily help themselves. "What are you making?"

"I was going to prepare some vodka with orange juice," Sasuke informed. "You want some?"

"That's a girls' drink," Naruto pointed out, with a smile. Sasuke's eyebrows rose again, but with false innocence.

"Shall I add some absinth, then?" he suggested, sarcastically.

Naruto laughed, already feeling himself relaxing. "If you have a death wish, sure."

"There's some orange juice left, I can make some more of this delicious 'girls' drink' for you or I can just get you a beer," Sasuke said conversationally.

"I'll just have what you're having so you don't embarrass yourself," Naruto teased. Sasuke all but snorted before turning his back to him and getting the drinks ready.

Making his way to the counter, Naruto leaned his lower back against the edge as he watched Sasuke grab for two glasses. As he waited, he observed the other man's firm, non-hesitant gestures and wondered how it could be possible that Sasuke, the boy who once had made him feel like he was walking on thin ice was now a man capable of calming down his nerves even when he embarrassed himself beyond measure. It was so easy to trade words with him now, he mused.

"I didn't know you had those," Naruto mentioned, pointing at Sasuke's face.

"My piercings?" Sasuke asked, pouring a generous amount of vodka into one glass before also nearly filling the other. "I'm not allowed to wear them for work. Although, I was sure you had noticed the holes with how much you use to stare at my face."

"You have a nice face to look at," Naruto said, chuckling guiltily. There was nothing Sasuke missed, was there?

Sasuke looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "Is that so?"

"Come on, Sasuke, I'm an artist, and you're good looking, I can't help it," Naruto defended, slapping Sasuke's arm. "But… well, I never would've connected you to piercings, to be honest. You're always so poised I just completely missed it."

"Right," Sasuke muttered, grabbing for the half-filled jar of orange juice near the bottles of Alcohol. "So, you like them?"

"They look strangely good on you," Naruto admitted, unconsciously letting his eyes rake over Sasuke's correct and handsome features.

"Hum," Sasuke said, disinterestedly. After he poured some orange juice over the vodka in both glasses, he placed the jar down and grabbed for said glasses, extending one to Naruto, who accepted it with a grateful nod. "I'm going to grab some fresh air. Care to join me?"

"Sure!"

With a gesture of his head, Sasuke motioned for Naruto to follow him. They walked out of the kitchen and into the narrow hallway, passing the open door of what was clearly a fashionable living room, where several people were gathered, chatting loudly and drinking. Naruto almost gave into the reflex of peeking inside and waving at everybody but refrained so he could follow Sasuke's quick steps - he'd have time to socialize later.

Clearly, just like Kiba, this wasn't the first time Sasuke was in this apartment since he seemed to know his way around.

They found themselves in a small office. The lights were off, so Sasuke turned them on, as he made his way inside the room and towards the tall glass doors on the wall opposing the entrance. Again, Naruto followed him. Sasuke carefully grabbed for the handle and slid the door open, getting out if the way so Naruto could step outside first.

The two of them found themselves on a small balcony, large enough for two, but obviously tight for more people to fit in. The stony white rail was wide, though, so Sasuke used it to his advantage to set down his glass of vodka. As he fumbled around with his pockets, Naruto took a moment to enjoy the nice view of the nightlights down in the city. The breeze was a bit cold but gentle - it was nice outside - making Naruto take a mental note to find himself an apartment with a balcony next time he needed to move.

A flicker of a lighter echoed in the air. Naruto's head turned to meet the sound to see that Sasuke seemed to be lighting a cigarette, but upon further inspection, he realized that it wasn't a cigarette at all.

Noticing Naruto's surprised expression, Sasuke extended the joint to Naruto. "You want some?"

Blinking quickly, Naruto nodded excitedly and took it from Sasuke's hand. "Why not, it's been a while," he said, and took a small puff, experimentally. He let the smoke travel inside his lungs for a couple of seconds before expelling the smoke. "That's not bad. Didn't peg you for the type to enjoy these things, though."

He passed the joint back to Sasuke, who merely smiled mysteriously. "There is a lot you don't seem to associate with me," he said, before taking a drag. He expelled the smoke. "It's nice occasionally, though. We can't let ourselves become old and weighted down by the unavoidable responsibilities of our daily lives or we'll go crazy fast."

"Indeed," Naruto agreed softly. He couldn't help but watch Sasuke's actions again as the man took a casual sip on his beverage and took his own moment to appreciate the view. He seemed like an otherworldly being then, poised and relaxed as if nothing could possibly bother him in that precise moment. Naruto wondered how much of that was true, what with him having a son and being a big shot in a huge company.

Nevertheless, how absolutely enticing he looked just then, and no-one regardless of gender or sexual orientation could say otherwise.

Whatever his preconceptions about Sasuke had been at first, they were all quickly being shattered, one by one, to give place to fascination and knowledge of this new individual who was so much like the boy he once knew, and yet, so different at the same time. What else was there about Sasuke that Naruto didn't know? How much had he changed, how many more things would he come to do to completely baffle Naruto?

Naruto wanted to know everything, but something told him that he should wait and let Sasuke unveil himself at will.

Sasuke's gaze moved to him then. "You're giving me that strange look again."

Naruto cleared his throat and took a sip on his vodka before speaking. "You know I'm a photographer," he muttered, with a shrug. "I told you I do some freelance work as well, and I've been slowly working on pictures for this exhibit I've been wanting to do since forever."

"Any luck so far?" Sasuke asked casually, taking yet another drag in the joint before passing it to Naruto.

"Not really. Although…" Naruto interrupted himself to take another puff, feeling like he needed the extra courage to be impulsive this time. "I could try photographing you? The view is nice from here and you sort of complement it now that I notice it."

The way Sasuke watched him unblinkingly kind of made Naruto's senses tingle with an unknown, tangible feeling of anxiety. Maybe he'd said the wrong thing?

"Go ahead," his friend eventually said, with a shrug. "You want me to pose or something? I don't know how to do that kind of stuff, though."

Excitedly, Naruto took two big gulps on his vodka before placing the glass on the rail. "Don't worry, just relax and do whatever you were doing before," he instructed, fishing out his cellphone from the back pocket of his jeans. "Oh, I'm so regretting not having brought my camera right now."

"I don't really like taking pictures," Sasuke confessed, leaning back against the rail, glass in one hand, joint in the other. "It makes me feel a bit uncomfortable."

Naruto smirked and activated the camera on his cellphone, lifting it up at eye level and adjusting his position so he could get a proper shot. "Why did you agree to let me take pictures, then?"

"Because you knew how to ask intelligently," Sasuke replied, returning the smirk, white, perfect teeth flashing for a moment.

Because the balcony was so narrow Naruto had to lean his back against the glass door behind him, but he soon found that he didn't need much adjusting to get a proper angle from Sasuke - Sasuke was all good angles it seemed. "I gotta remember using the same nuance more often then," he joked, licking at his lips. He quickly realized that his friend was very camera friendly, and his artistic side was instantly hyped as he snapped one photo after the other.

Sasuke closed his mouth and rolled his eyes, shaking his head from side to side. Then, he seemed to relax a bit, sipping his drink.

As Naruto took a few photos, changing his position here and there, Sasuke's eyes easily travelled several times from the cell phone camera lens to Naruto himself. His thoughtful and simultaneously evaluating expression gave him an intensity that elevated his already outrageous appeal. If Naruto hadn't already been used to having people looking directly at him in his profession, he was sure that he'd feel more than a little self-conscious. Getting reacquainted with this sometimes quiet and inscrutable side of Sasuke's personality was something Naruto was still trying to get used to without giving away his embarrassment.

However, he couldn't help his heart from racing and his cheeks from heating up ever so slightly.

Even with a cell phone, Sasuke was a delight to photograph and Naruto couldn't remember having ever taken such easy pictures of someone without proper lighting, scenario, wardrobe and makeup (and many times, embellished with the blessings of photoshop) - and he'd been photographing gorgeous people and celebrities for quite a long time now.

Sasuke eventually looked away, dark eyes lost into the night as he turned his head to the side and took another puff in the joint. A gentle breeze made his hair sway lightly. Naruto's breath got stuck in his lungs. He had the impending desire to beg Sasuke to follow him to his studio right now so he could photograph him with a proper camera but was able to hold himself back for decency's sake, at least for now. He'd already been inappropriate enough about Sasuke's looks for one night.

Although, he was completely sure that Sasuke would make a lot of money as a model, even at this age.

Naruto forced himself to lower his cell phone - he probably already had about fifty pictures of the guy that probably looked pretty much like one another but every single one of them totally amazing.

"God, you're fucking perfect," he couldn't help but breathe out. "It's really amazing. I don't think it's possible for you to have a bad picture taken, to be honest."

Sasuke looked back at him. "Was it enough to satiate your inspiration?" he asked.

Naruto could only shrug helplessly. "Not one hundred percent, no," he admitted, with a sheepish smile, shoving the cell phone back inside his pocket. "You fed the muse with a few treats, and now it's kind of hungry for more."

Sasuke tilted his head to the side, almost curiously. He extended Naruto the joint, and when Naruto moved closer and reached out to grab it, their fingers touched.

"Is that a compliment or are you flirting with me?"

Sasuke's question made Naruto freeze, his skin still brushing Sasuke's. Looking down to their hands and the way their fingers were brushing, his brain stopped for a second before he looked back up at Sasuke, finding the man's gaze on him again, eyes calm but difficult to read, and even so, the way the vibration between them shifted the air around them was obvious.

Suddenly, Naruto felt like a fish, swimming in a familiar soothing current only to be unexpectedly confronted with an unknown appetizing but lethal bait. He felt confused as anticipation and fear struck him. Why would Sasuke ask something like that so straightforwardly _now_? Sure, Naruto was aware that he could be a bit insolent and shamelessly honest - and sure, now that he thought about it, he had complimented Sasuke in ways a normal person wouldn't dare to, least of all without second intentions - but he hadn't been that obvious, had he?

He couldn't afford to be, anyway, regardless of how he felt.

Cautiously, he grabbed for the joint and brought it to his lips, effectively dismissing the contact as he took a long drag to have some time to clear his thoughts.

"Is that a tricky question?" he finally asked back, trying to sound playful, but failing miserably.

Sasuke all but shrugged, eyes narrowing. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm just genuinely curious."

Even if he tried hard not to feel nervous, Sasuke's inscrutable demeanor made Naruto feel on edge.

He allowed himself a few seconds to watch Sasuke's features. It wasn't as if he wanted to lie to Sasuke about this but being honest wouldn't be the right move either considering the circumstances. If this wasn't Sasuke standing in front of him, he would know exactly what to answer.

But Sasuke was his friend, and the person another friend was in love with. Sasuke was a gorgeous lure, and a mystery Naruto wanted to uncover and was very drawn to but knew would get him in trouble in the end, and he didn't want to ruin anything between them.

He didn't want to take a wrong step and fuck things up.

What was Sasuke curious about, anyway, and why now? Naruto wanted to find out, wanted to play the game, but knew it wasn't the right course of action to take.

So how, exactly, could he walk away without walking away?

"In different circumstances I'd knew exactly what to tell you, Sasuke," he ended up saying, choosing his words carefully.

"What's different about the circumstances right now?" Sasuke countered, with wit.

"The fact that you're putting me in a tight spot, that's what."

This time, there was an annoyed twitch in Sasuke's eye. The man took a long breath through his nose, and when he spoke it had a hint of coldness to it. "I'm not following you, Naruto."

"I know."

Sasuke 'tsked' and drank some more of his vodka, looking away from Naruto, now with a deep frown. Silently, Naruto bit down on his lower lip and moved so he could pick up his own glass of vodka form the rail. He leaned back against it beside Sasuke and was going to smoke some more until he found out that the breeze had put the joint out.

Sasuke was looking away from him, towards some point beyond the glass doors and into the small office inside. Naruto watched him, wondering what had so obviously upset him.

What had Sasuke been expecting to hear, anyway?

Then, it struck Naruto that maybe, just maybe, Sasuke had wanted to hear _something. _They shared a past, after all, and for years had a mutual desire to reconnect, so maybe Sasuke was testing the waters for them.

Naruto gulped. If that was the case then it was as fantastical as it was horrifying, and he didn't know what to do or feel about it. He couldn't just ask, could he? He couldn't open that door, even if he wanted to peek inside. For Kiba's sake, he had to get his own curiosity in check.

"Hey," Naruto muttered, dragging himself closer to Sasuke so their arms were touching and elbowing him a little. "Don't be mad."

Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed before opening them again and turning his face to look at Naruto.

"You know, I often have the feeling that you evade me on purpose," he said, irritably. "But at the same time, you're constantly seeking me out. We're supposed to be friends, you wanted it, and yet it feels like there's something holding you back, a fucking _wall_ between us that you put up but are trying to make look like it isn't there."

Naruto scratched the back of his head guiltily. "That's not really the case…" he mumbled.

"It's true and you know it," Sasuke pressed. "It feels like you're forcibly trying to come closer and regain our previous intimacy, and yet, when I let you, you pull away. I don't understand you."

What were they even talking about at this point? They hadn't even been that intimate as kids, had they?

Well, they _had_ in a… strange sort of way that then developed to other sorts of things. Come to think of it, he and Sasuke had always been oddly physical for two boys who were merely friends, but…

Naruto tried to shove away those embarrassing details.

Either way, Naruto didn't feel like, as friends, right now, he was holding anything back with Sasuke, was he? But if Sasuke was being direct in talking about _other things_ then, well, he had a point, but what could Naruto do about it that didn't lead to a hurtful mess?

He didn't want to lie to Sasuke. He didn't want Sasuke to have doubts about his motivations and desire to have him in his life, but it wasn't his place to be honest about his reason for having boundaries either.

"Sasuke, I want you close, but I just…I can't do _this_, you know?" he grunted, frustratingly gesturing with his hand between him and Sasuke. "It's fun, and I kind of _really_ want to, but yeah, you're my friend and I just… I _can't_."

Sasuke frowned, and even doing that, with that annoyed and menacing stare, he looked breathtaking. "Why not? It's just casual flirting, Naruto, there's nothing wrong with it," he stated, defiantly. "Or does the prospect of where it might lead us scare you?"

This did take Naruto aback, because if he had any doubts about what Sasuke was getting at, there was no denying it now.

And that made Naruto feel both suddenly ecstatic, but sad and disappointed at the same time.

_Did_ it scare him?

Of course not. If things had been different, he wouldn't be hesitating now and this whole conversation would have been a lot different.

Because how could he ever fear anything that could ever happen in his life with Sasuke in it if Sasuke had been the reason for why he had strength today? No path could ever lead to regret if Sasuke was there to walk beside him, he'd always thought that, even throughout the years they had been apart.

But… casual or not, it wasn't just about the two of them.

"That's not it at all," Naruto whispered. "It's just that I really can't, Sasuke."

Sasuke pressed his lips together. "That's disappointing."

"There you guys are!" Both men in the balcony looked to the inside of the apartment at the same time to see that Kiba stood at the entrance of the office, also holding a glass, but a small one with some sort of brownish beverage. "How dare you guys smoke pot without me?"

"We were just having a bonding moment," Sasuke said loudly, so Kiba could hear him. "You've smoked enough pot for a lifetime already, mutt."

"So not true!" Kiba defended. Then, he gestured them inside. "Come on Sas, we have to introduce Naruto to the rest of the guys!"

"Yeah, coming," Sasuke said dryly, not hesitating in walking past Naruto and going inside while Naruto himself had to take a couple seconds to digest what had just happened.

He felt crestfallen and regretful because he didn't like leaving things hanging like this, especially after such a delicate discussion had been had, but there was no way that he could fix things that night anymore, unless he had a way to sit and talk to Sasuke, but even that wasn't something he was sure he should or could do at this point.

What could he possibly tell Sasuke to explain himself? How could he say he didn't want to reject their more meaningful interactions but simply could not accept them?

Just when he had wanted to have a good time bonding with Sasuke other things had to get in the middle and unbalance things again, and Naruto wasn't even sure if this new turn of events was a good thing or a bad one, but he knew that Sasuke was pissed, at least.

Had Sasuke… genuinely wanted them to flirt? Was he really wanting to test the waters for the in those terms? But then, where would that leave Kiba?

He wished that he could have answers and find clarity, but he knew it was all a blur for the time being.

Heaving a sigh, Naruto forced himself to muster up an energetic and party-like mask and grinned. "Right behind you!"

000

Kiba's and Sasuke's co-workers were nice people, most of them their age, some others a bit younger, but all very talkative and cheery, and Naruto had no problems making conversation and quickly moving from small group to small group to catch up on several topics. As a photographer, and working in a large company himself, he was more than used to social environments such as these - not to mention that he was already a very sociable person by nature (how else would he get laid so easily?). He had a lot of people putting drinks in his hands too, so it didn't take long for him to go along with the good spirits of everyone else. The music playing in the background was nice, too.

Both Kiba and Sasuke seemed to be doing their own individual thing, both talking to their own group of people. Naruto would sometimes chance a glance at Sasuke and his friend, feeling his gaze, would look back. They'd lock eyes before Naruto became overwhelmed by the weight of Sasuke's and eventually looked away. Still, he found himself sneaking peeks at Sasuke every now and again, deeply fascinated by his casual, yet imposing presence in the room. He smiled courteously to his employees and made easy conversation, and it was clear that he had charisma and was deeply respected - and admired - by all. It was quite a sight to be seen, and it filled Naruto with an emotion very similar to pride, but it was an emotion that didn't come along. Whichever other feelings followed, Naruto tried not to think about them, instead focusing on how he was getting a little too much attention from two girls in the group. If Sasuke hadn't been there, he might've considered getting lucky with one of them (or both) but he didn't want to seem like the player his friend already thought he was. Still, the girls provided a nice distraction from the turmoil of their previous interaction.

Naruto also had a chance to make small talk with Gaara, who politely replied to his questions but didn't seem very capable of inciting further discussion.

"I'm sorry I'm not very fond of casual conversation," Gaara had said apologetically at some point, making Naruto laugh.

"Doesn't matter, I can talk enough for the both of us," Naruto had said, and Gaara seemed happy enough to go with the flow of Naruto's incessant blabbering.

At some point, neither Sasuke nor Kiba could be seen in the room anymore. Naruto considered going after them but didn't want to seem clingy, so he stayed put. Besides, Kiba could be trying to score and Naruto didn't want to be the one cockblocking him, even if the thought of Kiba's cock and Sasuke in the same sentence was highly disturbing to think about for some reason. Those two wouldn't go straight to fucking, would they? Unless they'd been so attracted to each other that they couldn't keep it in their pants the moment they touched each other. This was also not something Naruto wanted to think about, nor in the fact that Sasuke had been pretty much into the thought of Naruto flirting with him. So… Sasuke wouldn't go and flirt with _Kiba_, now, would he?

What was the deal with Sasuke, anyway? Weird guy. Did he even have a thing going with Kiba, or anyone for that matter?

Not even wanting to entertain the thought, Naruto muffled his thoughts out by accepting drink after drink and immersing himself in conversation.

Time passed in a strange way, and at a certain point, since he had no idea where Kiba nor Sasuke were and all the drinking had made him desperate to take a piss, he excused himself and went to look for the bathroom, thinking that it would also be a good opportunity to finally look for his friends as it was getting late.

Since the apartment wasn't very big, he found the bathroom easily at the end of the corridor. He felt a little drowsy as he relieved himself and took a mental note not to drink anymore because the chaos of the day was finally taking a toll on his exhausted body. More suitable would be for him to go home considering Kiba had clearly dumped him among strangers to go do whatever.

After washing his hands, though, Naruto didn't have to go very far because as soon as he stepped outside the bathroom, he noticed that there were people in the hall, even if the lights were off and the only illumination provided came from the remaining rooms. Recognizing Kiba and Sasuke, Naruto almost called out to them before realizing that the two were talking in front of the apartment door in a low voice, their bodies and heads inconspicuously close as they whispered between them.

Instantly having the feeling that he was intruding on something he wasn't supposed to see, Naruto took a step back inside the bathroom and silently turned off the light, his heart racing. However, curiosity was stronger, and he couldn't help but wonder about the obviously intimate way in which the two men were talking, so he carefully peeked outside.

Sasuke already had his leather-like black jacket on, his arms crossed over his chest, m features serious but demeanor relaxed. The conversation seemed to be casual but clearly not playful, and only upon further inspection did Naruto notice that Kiba had an intimate hand over the curve of Sasuke's neck, that he used to caress the spot as he responded to whatever it was that the man was saying. The sight was strangely unsettling for Naruto, who hadn't been that much privy to interactions between the two to fully perceive exactly how comfortable around each other they were. But that kind of proximity wasn't exactly one considered exclusively friendly at all, and Naruto would know - he was an expert at these kinds of things.

The fact that Sasuke surely acknowledged it as well and wasn't rejecting it made Naruto's discomfort grow. Within him red lights flashed and warned him to either interfere or look away for his own sake, but he wasn't capable of neither, so he simply kept watching in morbid curiosity, even if something told him that he would regret it later.

And then it happened - Kiba's hand ran a path upwards towards to cup Sasuke's cheek gently, there was a mutual leaning in, and lips were meeting. There was a long peck first, then another before mouths finally parted to touch deeper in a proper, experimental kiss. It was obvious to Naruto that those two had never kissed before, but this wasn't soothing to him at all. Holding his breath, he couldn't help but watch unblinkingly as Sasuke uncrossed his arms to bring a hand to the back of Kiba's head to curl his fingers around brown locks. It didn't really take long for those two to find a suitable rhythm between them, and in only a few seconds the kiss had deepened considerably.

Naruto didn't know how long they kissed for, but if felt like an eternity - long enough for him to notice the flickers of their tongues as they touched, long enough to notice how much taller Sasuke actually was than Kiba, and long enough to notice their bodies coming more in contact by the second - and Naruto stopped thinking altogether.

The group of people in the living room, released a joined laughter, which caused Sasuke and Kiba to startle slightly and break the kiss. They exchanged a sort of breathless look, Sasuke whispered something to which Kiba nodded and they stepped away from each other, ceasing the initial contact completely. Kiba was graceful enough to open the door for Sasuke. They exchanged a small goodbye kiss before Sasuke left, Kiba silently closing the door behind him.

As Kiba took a moment to breathe and bring a hand to his mouth in bewilderment, Naruto watched him, his mind and heart racing with so many things he didn't know what to feel or if he was feeling anything at all.

Kiba lowered his hand and grinned to himself before spinning on his heels and turning to make his way back to the living room.

Without really thinking, Naruto waited until his friend was out of sight to make his own way towards the apartment's door and carefully opening it. He wasn't very discreet by slamming it shut behind him, but he didn't care because all he needed right now was freedom and fresh air - he felt like he was suffocating.

There was nothing on his mind as he left the building and stepped outside into the fresh night air, stopping in the sidewalk to close his eyes and take a moment to breathe in deeply.

He knew he should feel happy for Kiba, knew that, with this having happened, the problem between himself and Sasuke was over.

Only he wasn't, and it wasn't. If anything, it felt like something much bigger had been triggered by the night's events, and he wasn't ready to take it on at all.

Shoving his shaky hands inside the pockets of his jeans, he made his way to the subway station.

Things, he was sure, would never be the same again.

TBC…

* * *

**Please don't hate Sasuke, there is a reasonable explanation for all of this.**

**I remind you that I have a twitter account NoChidoriUchiha and a Ko-fi one as well under the name of Uchihanochidori. Please do offer support if you enjoy what I do and/or want to commission me (I'd quit my job if I got paid to write fan fiction, I swear xD)**

**Anyway, I missed my boys. Next chapter will be… surprising, I guess. This is supposed to be an honest fic, and I suppose you have noticed that the boys are nothing but honest with each other, so let's see how this will affect their relationship. **

**Thank you all for reading, and please don't forget to let me know your thoughts! I will reply to old comments tomorrow, and to new ones too.**

**Lots of love, and I deeply appreciate the constant support!**

**See ya next time!**


	4. His Words

**A/N:** NOT BETAED. SORRY FOR THE SHITTY STUFF YOU MIGHT FIND, BUT MY BRAIN HAS TURNED INTO POOP AFTER FINISHING THIS CHAPTER.

RIP BRAIN.

ENJOY THE CHAPTER, I GUESS! ^^

* * *

**MELTING**

**Chapter Four: His Words**

_Sixteen Years ago_

_Naruto had sworn that he wouldn't give a rat's ass about the stupid punk that had both saved and been a total jerk to him, but truth was, he had found out that the damned asshole was currently living in the property right next to his. This to say that, even if Naruto wanted to ignore him, it was impossible considering the guy seemed to enjoy going to the exact same places he did in the fields. _

_It wasn't as if Naruto was following him around, no. It was just that the guy happened to always be where Naruto himself wanted to be._

_Despite Naruto being upset by how poorly he'd been treated by someone who had saved him though, he found himself feeling growingly curious about that mysterious stranger as the days went by._

_His young neighbor, much like himself, seemed to be an only child. His mother was a beautiful looking woman with a kind face and delicate demeanor while his father seemed very serious and intellectual, often enjoying a book or newspaper while sitting on the bench of his porch as his wife indulged in gardening._

_The boy, however, had strange habits. He seemed to constantly be in a bad mood, spending hours practicing hitting specific targets in trees with pebbles or rocks. Sometimes, he seemed to be training some type of martial arts, which Naruto found very cool and was very impressed by. It was obvious to him that he'd been professionally trained._

_Said moody boy was aware of Naruto's constant presence in the background - they had even locked eyes on a few occasions - but they had never addressed each other, somehow having come to a silent agreement that they would share the space they had 'accidentally' come to choose at the same time for the day. Unfortunately, they seemed to be in tune daily because they kept coming across each other._

_On that hot morning, though, the boy had chosen a small spring as his spot, and Naruto had climbed a tree nearby to purposefully observe him because he had nothing better to do. Curiously, Naruto watched as the boy had sat in the shadow underneath his tree and used a small hunting knife to sharpen the tip of a stick that was considerably taller than him. Once satisfied, the boy had made his way to the spring and had easily climbed over the more prominent rocks peeking from the surface of the running water, finally positioning each of his feet over a rock and silently, one after the other, he had attempted to stab the fish swimming there in a rudimentary fishing technique._

_As good as the boy was at martial arts and hitting targets with rocks, he absolutely sucked at catching fish, Naruto mused._

_"You know," Naruto couldn't help but comment, lying on his belly on a tree branch. "It would be easier if you used a net instead of that."_

_"I don't remember asking for your opinion, loser," the boy said loudly, not looking up to acknowledge him._

_"I'm just trying to help," Naruto defended._

_"You'll help if you shut up and not startle the fish."_

_Naruto snorted. "Why are you trying to catch fish like some caveman, though? You're going to get hurt," he said. _

_The boy ignored him, and Naruto huffed. Moody bastard. For someone with such a pretty face the guy sure looked like the devil incarnate. _

_Silently, Naruto watched the boy stabbing the water over and repeatedly without any success at catching a single fish. Then, the expected happened as the boy apparently slipped in one of the rocks and promptly fell forward face down in the water. Now, Naruto knew that it was just a stream, the water barely reaching knee level, but the bottom was very rocky, so his instincts immediately rang with worry because he was sure the boy had to have hurt himself._

_Hurriedly and with practiced ease, he climbed down the tree just as the boy was emerging from the water, completely soaked. He looked angry as he threw the long stick away and stumbled to land, wiping water away from his face and eyes._

_Naruto stood next to the tree trunk and for the first time that day, his eyes locked with the boy's furious ones. He opened his mouth to speak, but the boy quickly cut him. "Shut up," he snapped. "Leave me alone."_

_Naruto shut his mouth angrily, teeth making a loud noise as they collided. He noticed that both boy's knees sported ugly gashes (he'd been wearing shorts) and were bleeding, but his rudeness almost made Naruto lose whatever sympathy he had been feeling for him._

_The boy slumped down on the grass, panting and mumbling to himself through gritted teeth._

_Decided and internally fuming, Naruto turned his back on the soaking wet asshole and started firmly stomping away. Idiot pretty boy with his high and mighty attitude, thought he knew everything and could just take care of his own damn self, damn it._

_That was until Naruto heard a small, barely disguised groaning sound of obvious pain behind him._

_Serves him right, he thought bitterly. Mr. strong pants was hurt, and it was all his own fault for not listening to Naruto's advice. _

_However, for as much as he tried to ignore it, Naruto couldn't help but picture the horrible bruises he had seen on the other boy's knees inside his mind - he knew it had to hurt._

_Gritting his teeth, he rolled his eyes at himself. Why was he feeling sorry for such a horrible person who had invaded his personal hanging out spots and treated him like pig crap consecutively? Clearly the boy didn't like Naruto, and Naruto didn't really like him either._

_But he did owe the guy one for helping him the other day, he thought, huffing. So, it was only normal that he'd feel… something._

_With a sigh, he looked at the ground around his feet, easily spotting a few familiar flowers and leaves that he knew he could use. He easily crouched down and wasted a bit of time picking them, and once both hands were full, he made his way back to the asshole._

_The boy, whose usually spiky hair was all glued to the sides of his face because of the water, looked up at him, frowning as he watched Naruto kneel beside him._

_Silently, Naruto placed the herbs over his knees and selected a good amount of a few of them before throwing them inside his mouth. The boy made a confused expression as he watched Naruto chew for a bit._

_Once he was satisfied, Naruto spit half of the chewed leaves into one of his opened palms and did the same to the other. Then, he unceremoniously reached out and slammed his hands over the boy's knees, coating them with the paste. The boy gasped in horror._

_"What the hell are you doing?!" he hissed, trying to push Naruto away. "That's disgusting!"_

_"I know what I'm doing!" Naruto defended, fighting the boy's arms. "I do this all the time when I fall, it works miracles!"_

_"Figures a loser like you would fall all the time!" The boy hissed, making a face. He pushed at Naruto's chest, and hell, was he strong. "Get away from me!"_

_"I'm just trying to pay you back for your help so we can be even!" Naruto protested, elbowing the boy defensively so he would stop struggling. "I know it's disgusting, but if you leave it for a few minutes the bleeding will stop and all you have to do is wash the wound and it'll be as good as new!"_

_At this, the boy did stop, eyeing Naruto with exasperation. "Fine, do whatever you want, but if this infects, I'm kicking your ass," he threatened, resignedly crossing his arms over his chest._

_Naruto glanced up and him and stuck his tongue out at him, being promptly ignored. Now with freedom to work properly, he easily used both hands to rub the boy's knees more gently with the herbal paste. He could feel dark eyes on him, but he didn't let that unnerve him - after all, he was just paying back a favor, and like this he had no debts towards this person anymore._

_Once he was satisfied, Naruto nodded to himself and got up, making his way towards the edge of the spring and crouching down so he could wash his hands. "You should probably take your clothes off and let them dry in the sun," he suggested, sinking his hands in the running crystalline water and rubbing them together. "Even if it's a hot day, you might catch a cold."_

_"You paid your debt," the boy mumbled, bad humoredly. "I don't need a loser like you to babysit me."_

_"My name is not 'loser', I'm…"_

_"Naruto, I know," the boy said dismissively. "It's a stupid name."_

_Naruto closed his eyes and pressed his lips together to get his mouth shut. After taking a deep steading breath, he removed his hands from the water, shaking them and getting up. _

_He turned back to the other boy, patting his hands on his pants to dry them. "You know," he commented, closing his fists at his sides even though his voice was victoriously calm. "For a guy with such a pretty face you sure are a pain in the ass."_

_The boy pressed his lips together and looked away from him. "I'm Sasuke, but we're not friends," he said dryly. "You paid your debt already. That makes us even, as you wanted."_

_"Yeah," Naruto agreed, torn between feeling angry and crestfallen. Sasuke didn't give him any openings, no chance whatsoever for Naruto to try and be friendly, and it really sucked. He wanted to make a clever remark about the guy's name, but 'Sasuke' was a cool name in his opinion. It really was unfortunate that he had to be such a difficult person. "Don't worry, you won't have to save my ass ever again. It's more likely I'll save yours at some point."_

_"Hell will freeze over before that happens," Sasuke said, arrogantly. _

_Naruto inhaled sharply. "Good luck poking the fish," Naruto mocked, without smiling. "If your parents are waiting for you to bring them dinner they'll probably starve. That is if they don't have to come out here to find you in case you end up breaking both legs."_

_All Naruto saw was Sasuke's pretty face scrunching up in a furious frown, but he didn't give the other boy a chance to retaliate because he shoved his hands inside the pockets of his pants and walked away._

_"Screw you!" Sasuke yelled._

_Grinning to himself proudly, Naruto looked up at the sky. Naruto: one. Sasuke: ZERO._

000

No matter how much he tried to convince himself that he was okay and that he'd merely been shaken by the initial shock of having his own delusions shattered, eventually, Naruto had to cave in and admit that he _wasn't _okay.

No, Naruto was _not_ okay at all.

As he rode the subway train home, his frantic mind helplessly raced with the whys and hows of his situation, but all the answers he came up with were highly unsatisfactory and leaving him feeling like an ignorant, childish fool.

It hurt to accept, but he realized that Kiba hadn't been the one living in his own fantasy of Sasuke - _Naruto_ had. He had believed that his friend had been imagining the progression of his relationship with Sasuke while he'd been right all along.

Why had Naruto sunken into that belief so easily? Why had it been so easy for him to assume that Kiba was a little full of himself and that Sasuke would not go for someone like him?

After much thought, he'd concluded that it had been convenient for him to believe this. It had been convenient for him to think that Sasuke had been single and free of any sort of romantic interests because that would mean he would be free for Naruto to pursue. Eventually.

This realization had Naruto feeling like absolute _shit_.

Now, after everything that had come to happen between them in the last few days, Naruto was finally capable of being honest with himself when it came to his feelings for Sasuke. At this point, there was no choice but to admit that his attraction to his old friend, not to mention that his old crush for him weighted heavily, as well. He'd been in love with Sasuke for a long time, but it wasn't like he was in love _now_; that wasn't it at all.

In all honesty, he had felt a certain chemistry between them from the first day of their reunion and, one way or another, he had been curious to see where it would lead them, even if guilt had plagued him because of it. While on one hand he'd taken a step back because of Kiba, on the other one, a subconscious part of him had been eager to not move away completely from something that could eventually be.

The night's events and their talk in the balcony had only validated Naruto's suspicions that Sasuke could be feeling the same type of curiosity towards him. That had inadvertently ignited a bitter sort of hope inside Naruto's heart that he couldn't quite place.

He wasn't in love; he knew that much. Nevertheless, a part of him loved Sasuke - for who he'd been to him in the past, and for who Naruto wanted him to be in the present.

Naruto liked to believe that Sasuke felt the same way about him - after all, Sasuke had said they had shared feelings as kids and that he'd wanted to see him just as much. How else was Naruto supposed to see their situation now?

So, why… _why_ had Sasuke and Kiba kissed? Why after Sasuke had been so open about flirting with Naruto, even expressing obvious disappointment when Naruto refused him?

Or maybe Sasuke was just the type of guy who was a player at heart? The thought wasn't reassuring, not for Naruto's sake, and certainly not for Kiba's, either.

By the time he got home and slumped on the couch, Naruto still didn't know what to think other than he wasn't ready to deal with so much doubt and frustration in his life now. He was suddenly concerned for Kiba in case Sasuke was just fooling around with both, but at the same time, he didn't want to believe Sasuke to be capable of being that kind of obnoxious and cruel prick. Sasuke had been many types of cruel in the past, but if there was something he wasn't was emotionally inept.

All Naruto knew was that he was confused, not okay, and that there was nothing he could possibly do about it. Not that he knew which course of action to take, anyway.

Kiba, got home not even an hour after Naruto, alerting him that his friend probably had left as soon as he had noticed his absence.

"Hey," Kiba greeted hesitantly, as he entered the living room to find Naruto eying the TV blankly, not really watching some documentary about bacteria, still fully clothed and with his shoes on.

"Hey," Naruto greeted back grumpily, without looking back at him.

"You left without saying anything. What happened?" Kiba asked, putting his keys and wallet over the center table and sitting on the armchair beside the couch. "You didn't even pick up your phone; I tried to call you a million times!"

Guiltily, Naruto finally glanced at his friend. "Sorry, I had my cell on silent mode."

Kiba's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Naruto," he said, sounding a little mad. "_What _happened? You don't usually disappear without saying a fucking word! No-one even saw you leaving!"

"I drank a bit too much, and wanted to come home," Naruto half-lied, with an apologetic shrug. "I wanted to let you know, but you were so busy talking to Sasuke that I didn't want to be a cock-blocker."

Kiba's shoulders slumped. "And you couldn't have texted me to say you had left?"

"I was a bit drunk, and tired," Naruto repeated, as if it excused anything. "Didn't exactly occur to me, I just wanted to come home."

"What if you had fallen somewhere on your way home and passed out?" Kiba pressed on, exasperated. "Naruto…"

"I wasn't _that_ drunk, Kiba," Naruto moaned "I'm sorry, okay? I was talking to a lot of people at the party and drank more than I'm used to, but I was fine. I _am_ fine. I was just a little out of sorts, but I'm better. I'm sorry I got you worried."

Kiba huffed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair before leaning back on the armchair as if he felt suddenly exhausted. "You can be a real jerk sometimes, you know? Your fucking impulsiveness is your worst trait, I swear. Sometimes you just do shit I can't understand or predict. Fucking hell."

"Sorry?" Naruto tried again. Kiba rolled his eyes.

"I'm just glad I decided to check home before panicking and going to the police," he said, pouting. Then, he eyed Naruto for a while before looking away to the television, resting both his arms over the ones of the armchair. He was in a state of seriousness that was a bit unfamiliar to Naruto.

Naruto, for his part, kept eyeing him, waiting. Wasn't Kiba going to say anything about what had happened with Sasuke? He had always expected that the first thing Kiba would do once something happened would be to boast and gloat and jump around or something. Of course, Kiba could still be too pissed at Naruto, but still.

"Apart from this, did you have a good time?" Naruto asked cautiously. "You and Sasuke seemed pretty… close."

Kiba looked at him from the corner of his eye. "It was fine," he said blandly, with a small shrug, but Naruto noticed that his eyes softened just the tiniest bit.

"Just fine?"

Damn, why Naruto was pressing the issue he didn't know, but he couldn't help himself from wanting details on what had been upsetting him for almost two hours now.

_Talk about being subtle._

Kiba shrugged again. "Sasuke and I kissed, if that's what you're trying to ask," he replied easily. "Sometime before you left. Or after, I don't know."

Naruto had a difficult time faking surprise, but he gave it a try nonetheless, letting his chin drop. He turned on the couch to face his friend properly. "Well?" he asked. "What happened?"

Kiba allowed himself a small, almost sheepish smile. "I'm not really sure," he confessed. "We were just having a normal conversation because I noticed that he seemed a bit off for some reason, so I was telling him stuff like he could count on me and whatever. And then it just happened. Just like that."

"What, he kissed you?" Naruto asked, even though he knew the answer.

"No, it was just… mutual, I guess." Kiba seemed thoughtful for a moment. "It's not like I had envisioned something all that cheesy or exciting for this moment, but it was kind of… easygoing, you know? Mature, I guess that's the word. Like it was suitable and expected from both of us? It was surprising how it was, but still nice. New, but also familiar. Comfortable, I guess." He snorted a bit. "He's a pretty damn good kisser though."

Naruto swallowed hard and forced himself to smile back. "Well, that's awesome, Kiba," he said. "That means he does like you, too."

"That's not exactly news to me, Naruto," Kiba said, making a face. "I'm just kind of… not really knowing what to do with myself right now."

"You're not happy?"

"Are you kidding?" Kiba said, letting out a laugh. "I'm fucking ecstatic, man. If I hadn't been so worried about you and pissed off at the same time, I would've probably floated my way back home."

Naruto laughed a bit, too. "So, you two are an item now?"

"That's not exactly established yet, but I don't think Sasuke's the type to play around, so... I guess so?" Kiba said, looking a bit confused suddenly. "At least I hope so? Or maybe he wants to test the waters before committing? Fuck, I have no idea. I mean, we didn't exactly make out, and we didn't kiss just for fun, it was nothing like that."

"I'm sure it'll all work out," Naruto said, trying to sound reassuring but feeling like his words stung the inside of his mouth. Despite himself, he felt a wave of impending gloominess hitting him.

"Is everything alright, Naruto?" Kiba asked with concern, noticing it.

Naruto immediately perked up. "Yeah, fine!" he assured, with a grin. "I'm just not used to this much drinking, I think I overdid it. I feel sober but my head's a bit dizzy"

Unconvinced, Kiba made a suspicious face. "You're a terrible liar, you know?"

"I'm not lying!" Naruto protested.

"Whatever," the other man conceded, waving a dismissive hand in front of his face and getting up. "You can talk to me whenever you feel like it."

"I know."

"I'm going to bed, you should go, too" Kiba announced, stretching his arms over his head. "Don't pull another one like tonight, I swear I'll fuck your face up."

Without emotion, Naruto chuckled. "Ahaha, sure."

"Sleep tight, Naruto, and call me if you need me."

"Thanks man."

Little did Kiba know that Naruto would not be sleeping well that night.

000

Having a crush on his childhood friend was something Naruto had easily come to terms with in his mind, and yet, facing the fact - and the target of the situation in question - seemed to be harder than Naruto had initially anticipated.

He wasn't sure exactly _why_ he was so upset, but he guessed the reasons were more than many: not wanting to face Sasuke's perspective on his and Kiba's situation; not wanting to face Sasuke at all; being angry at Sasuke for leading him on only to kiss Kiba the first chance he got, and the possibility of him playing with Kiba's emotions were just a few things Naruto could name. He didn't know how to feel or what to think, and he didn't know how to even begin approaching Sasuke on the subject.

Naruto couldn't tell if he was heartbroken or simply angry. He didn't know if he should step aside for good and let Sasuke and Kiba do their thing or try to reach out and understand where he fit in the equation. It was hard when both options sounded both appealing and terrifying at the same time.

How could he not want to understand his part in it?

So, Naruto avoided Sasuke altogether for a whole week. Not a very smart thing to do when he'd been so adamant about wanting to be friends and hanging out, but he was too emotionally unstable to be able to face the man without saying anything improper and not coming undone.

Naruto had rejected Sasuke's calls and had been very dismissive while replying to his text messages. Of course, he desperately wanted to talk to him, to get his thoughts and feelings cleared out, to ask what the fuck was going on, yet couldn't get himself to face him, simply because he had no idea what his own reaction would be.

It was confusing for him not to know what he, personally, expected from all this, or if he could even dare to expect something. At this point, he mostly wanted to disappear and wish it all away.

If only he hadn't been so stupid in opening his mouth about Sasuke's looks, Sasuke probably wouldn't have noticed the subtle innuendos about him that gave his attraction away.

If only he hadn't been selfish to the point of being purposefully vague so Sasuke could see his interest.

He didn't know which way to turn or how he could even begin to go back to 'acting naturally' in all of this when things felt so different now.

It would've been easier if he and Sasuke hadn't interacted like that in that fucking balcony. If the doors had been completely closed for him, he wouldn't be killing himself over this.

Still, a voice inside his head kept screaming at him to straighten things out - he had to talk to Sasuke. First, he missed the guy and didn't want to force a distance between them after so many years apart, and secondly, he had to know Sasuke's side of the story, had to understand what was going on, for his own mental stability.

But it took the whole week for him to gather the needed courage to text Sasuke so they could meet up. It was the following Saturday morning by the time an anxious Naruto grabbed a cab and made his way to the address Sasuke had given him.

He didn't know what he expected to come out of this, or how he'd react to whatever it was that might come at him, but he had no other options if he wanted to finally find some semblance of peace.

"Naruto," Sasuke greeted politely as he opened the door to his apartment. At once, Naruto glanced at him from up and down, taking in Sasuke's dark blue pajama pants and white t-shirt and how, even in such a carefree attire, he looked damn _good_.

"Sasuke," Naruto greeted back, with a nod. He clenched his hands inside the single pocket of his yellow hoodie, shoulders tensed awkwardly. "Can I come in?"

"Of course. I told you to come, didn't I?" Sasuke said, stepping aside to allow Naruto entrance before closing the door behind them.

Naruto couldn't help but notice how quiet the apartment was. "Itachi isn't here?" he asked, looking around.

"He's still sleeping," Sasuke informed, silently reminding Naruto that it was barely 9 a.m.

"Oh."

"Don't look so disappointed, he'll be waking up soon," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. "Want some coffee?"

"Sure."

At Sasuke's head signal, Naruto followed him as he was led towards the stylish kitchen. It was the first time that he was visiting Sasuke's place, and even though it was nice and modern, it wasn't as fancy or as elaborately decorated as he had imagined. In fact, Sasuke seemed to be a minimalist, for he had seen no portraits on the walls in the hall nor furniture, and the kitchen itself lacked decorative items. In tones of fashionable grey, apart from the steely appliances, he had only a small round dining table with a glass surface and metallic legs, with four black leathered chairs around it.

"I'm sorry I asked to see you on such a short notice. I hope I didn't ruin your plans," Naruto said, as Sasuke made his way to the dark marbled counter, where an expensive looking coffee machine already had a pot filled with freshly brewed coffee.

"I didn't have any plans," Sasuke said plainly, grabbing for two cups from the cabinet above him.

"Not even with Kiba?" It had left Naruto's mouth before he could help it. Mentally, he slapped himself.

"What a random thing to say, Naruto," Sasuke said, without looking at him, as he set the cups down on the counter.

"Sorry," Naruto muttered, fidgeting a bit in his spot. He hadn't planned on being so stupidly blunt. Maybe coming here had been a terrible idea after all; he was no good at this kind of shit, and even though he had practiced the way his conversations with Sasuke would go, he seemed to have forgotten everything already.

"You haven't been replying to my texts, or answering my calls," Sasuke commented casually, as he filled the cups. "For someone who wanted to so much to rekindle our friendship, that certainly is strange."

"I'm sorry Sasuke."

Sasuke turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Are you just going to stand there?" he asked. "Sit down for fuck's sake."

"Yeah, sorry," Naruto mumbled, immediately pulling back a chair and sitting at the table. "I didn't want to be rude by just making myself at home."

"Instead of apologizing, you could start by explaining what's wrong?" Sasuke carried both cups to the table and placed one in front of Naruto and another one in the spot across from him. "Sugar?"

"No, thank you."

Sasuke didn't seem to take his coffee with sugar either because he promptly sat across from Naruto. Waiting for Naruto to spill the beans, he took a sip on his beverage.

Naruto for his part was silent. He wanted to deny, to say that nothing was wrong, but his honest nature didn't allow him to, plus he knew he was terrible at lying - it'd be all over his face.

Still, no matter how many times he had rehearsed this in his mind, he couldn't bring himself to just… approach the subject just like that.

Sasuke decided to break the short silence by himself. "Am I going to have to suggest that this has something to do with last Friday?"

Naruto's spine immediately straightened. Noticing it, he tried to look unfazed. "What about last Friday?"

Yep, he was fucking things up already. This was not what he had rehearsed at all.

"I'm going to have to guess that you saw that… more intimate exchange between Kiba and myself."

Damn, Sasuke was either very perceptive or really, intelligent. Or, maybe, Sasuke had somehow seen Naruto while he'd been eavesdropping that night? Either way, that Naruto had been caught so easily was annoying and embarrassing. "I don't know what you're talking about," Naruto said, grabbing for his cup of coffee and cradling it with both hands - the feeling was only slightly comforting.

"I keep thinking about it and I can't find any other thing that might've upset you, considering our conversation that night."

"I'm not upset," Naruto denied quickly. He cleared his throat, mentally punching himself. Why was he doing the exact opposite of what he had sworn he'd do? "If you're talking about what I think you are talking about, then Kiba told me about it and I'm actually happy that two people I deeply care about are dating each other."

Sasuke's eyebrows rose again, but this time in obvious amusement. He rested his chin over a closed fist. "Is that what Kiba told you?" he asked, with an almost professional curiosity.

"It's what he believes in, at least?" Naruto said, tentatively.

Sasuke's eye narrowed ever so slightly. "It was just a kiss," he said.

"It meant nothing to you?" Naruto asked, again, without thinking. What the hell was wrong with him? Didn't he have no fucking filter between his brain and his mouth or something?

"So, this _is_ what's been upsetting you," Sasuke said perceptively. However, he wasn't smiling, and there was no trace of teasing in his voice. Instead, his eyes were firmly on Naruto, always attentive and evaluating, as if he was waiting for him to slip at any given moment.

"It isn't." Again, Naruto denied the obvious truth. "But of course, it does upset me if you tell me you were just fooling around with my best friend without being considerate of his feelings."

"What makes you think I wasn't being considerate?" Sasuke seemed genuinely offended by the hidden accusation. "You seem to forget that he is _my_ friend, too."

Naruto wasn't sure if this was relieving or if it further upset him. He should've known that he was still to all over the place to understand his emotions. "There may be things you may not know about him, though, and act recklessly because of that."

Sasuke blinked slowly then, beautiful dark eyes narrowing so much they were two feral slits. Naruto had the distinct and uncomfortable impression that the man was reading his mind, meticulously putting all the pieces of the puzzle together, and it was oddly terrifying.

Predictably, after a moment Sasuke quirked up an eyebrow at him in obvious awareness, and Naruto all but felt himself groan internally.

There was a small, cunning smirk now. "I see, now. You actually believe I am not aware of Kiba's feelings for me," Sasuke started, in a smooth, conversational tone as he leaned back on the armchair and crossed one leg over the other in a mesmerizing action that Naruto felt very drawn to. "You underestimate my intelligence, Naruto."

Indeed, he did, Naruto admitted to himself, swallowing hard. "I don't know you enough to know how 'intelligent' you are," he countered.

"I am enough to know that you've forced all this charade on our friendship because of Kiba's 'feelings'," Sasuke snapped, all traces of amusement leaving his expression. "Something about this whole situation is making you feel _very_ uncomfortable, and it's not because of just Kiba."

Sasuke's perceptiveness was scary.

"You're putting too much thought into this."

"I'm a businessman; it's what I do."

"I just don't want Kiba to get hurt, so yeah, I'm worried about him and his perception of you and me," Naruto explained, feeling his heart racing a little in uncertainty. They were getting places Naruto had not been ready to enter - this was supposed to be about Kiba, not exactly about Naruto himself. "He seems to think the two of you are an item, yet you say it was just a kiss. I don't understand what that means."

"I don't understand what my words today have to do with what upset _you_ on Friday," Sasuke retorted easily.

God, Sasuke was difficult to talk to. Rather, he was difficult to fool, he didn't let issues drop easily and Naruto had a hard time deviating from the pressure he imposed.

It was like consistently and subtly being pressed against a wall inside your mind.

"Can you just stop making this about me?" Naruto complained, closing his fingers more tightly around the cup as the tension in his body seemed to escalate.

"If you were capable of being more straightforward, I could," Sasuke replied, like a smartass, of course.

"You're a difficult person to talk to you know?" Naruto grunted. "Just let it rest Sasuke, geez."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, obviously exasperated. "Fine, let's talk about what you want to talk about." He crossed his arms over his chest. "What you clearly came here to talk about that's been nagging you for a week."

Despite himself, Naruto felt completely and utterly uncomfortable. Sasuke had apparently dropped the previous nagging, but the feeling that he knew what Naruto was feeling and thinking was persistent and horrible.

Trying to organize his thoughts, Naruto finally chanced a sip on his coffee - it was strong and smelled wonderful but wasn't efficient in helping his situation.

He and Sasuke had been away from each other for so long, and yet, it felt like the other man still knew Naruto all too well. Sasuke had always been horrifyingly perceptive of him, even when they were children, and it had always felt as if no matter how much Naruto tried to hide things from him, he simply couldn't.

That had been one of the many things that had fascinated Naruto about him back then, and something that still crushed his heart to this very day. Sasuke had no right to know him this well, no right to see through him as if he could see his very soul.

This was probably why Naruto felt so fucking compelled to lie - because a part of him wanted to shatter Sasuke's vision of him and become as big of a mystery as Sasuke himself was to him.

But they were adults now and Naruto had to get things straightened out without compromising or ruining anything between them. Even if it was in Naruto's nature to be honest, doing so could further complicate everything.

This wasn't just about them.

"How… how do you feel about him? Kiba, I mean," Naruto eventually asked, even though he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"He's a good friend." Sasuke, always the mature one, had no hesitance in replying, his gaze on Naruto steady. "I'm not indifferent to him if that's what you're wondering. We've been dancing around each other for a few months now, so if he boasts about it to you, he's not imagining things. I wouldn't kiss him just for fun."

God, Sasuke knew Kiba well. The knowledge felt like a foreign concept Naruto hadn't considered before for some unfathomable reason - as if he had somehow pushed Kiba's and Sasuke's bond to the back of his mind, trivializing a relationship that had a long time already.

_Why_ hadn't he considered that those two were closer than he'd anticipated? Kiba had been vocal about it, so why had he been believing that Kiba gloated solely out of his own wishful thinking?

He felt so childish suddenly.

"And where does that leave you two?"

"Until he has the balls to openly talk to me about it, nowhere," Sasuke said, with an elegant shrug of his shoulders. "If he chooses to do so, we'll have to wait and see, won't we?"

Why did Sasuke sound like he was taunting him, gauging Naruto's every reaction to those easy, yet clearly well thought out words?

Because, if Sasuke knew Naruto as well as he tried to make him believe, then he would know what to say to poke him just right, and even though it unnerved him, Naruto couldn't help but poke back because he simply had to know what Sasuke's blatant honesty had to throw at him.

"Do you want more?" Naruto asked. "Are you hoping for more?"

Sasuke made a clicking sound with his tongue, giving away another wave of annoyance. "I honestly don't think this is any of your business," he said. "My love life, or Kiba's love life are not of your concern."

"Well, you are both my friends,"

"That doesn't make you qualified to intervene," Sasuke cut, sharply. "Whatever happens, or doesn't, between the two of us is not up to you to decide."

Sasuke's tone had been so firm and definite that left no room for argument. Of course, Naruto knew he was right, but it didn't help his growing frustration to subside.

Great, so now that he knew the truth and Sasuke's stand on this, he should know which way to turn to, right? Sasuke liked Kiba, things were still on hold between them, and that was it.

Only it wasn't _it_. Contrarily to Naruto's initial intentions, instead of feeling confident on what to do next, he now felt more restless than never and he hated it.

Why couldn't he just… stop?

He knew why. Because Sasuke had fucking been insinuating that he had wanted Naruto to flirt with him.

But this wasn't about Naruto, damn it! It was about Kiba. If only Sasuke could be more specific, if he could just… somehow let Naruto know that it was Kiba he was truly after and that the interaction between on the balcony had been meaningless Naruto would know what the fuck to do.

Even if… even if hearing it would probably fuck him up.

"I know that," Naruto said, through gritted teeth. "I'm sorry about making things difficult for our friendship, but Kiba went through hell after his girlfriend left to work abroad. He really loved her, and I guess his ego was crushed because she didn't even ask him if he wanted to go, too. It was as if she doesn't even care either way."

Sasuke's voice softened slightly. "I know the story."

"He… really likes you, Sasuke," Naruto pressed on, feeling more anxious by the second and not knowing why. "He's hoping for happiness with you. I can't just… see that ruined. I don't want him to feel betrayed, or insecure. I feel like I don't want to ruin this for him, do you understand? This balance that he has achieved because of his feelings for you… he's been filled with so much joy lately."

His words were genuine, yet something inside him felt bitter, and very fearful. He felt like his own voice would suffocate him and he couldn't place the feeling, but it was a devastating one.

He wasn't lying, but he wasn't being completely honest either.

What was it that he wanted to say, to do?

"I understand that," Sasuke said, with a small sigh. An elegant finger scratched at a fine dark eyebrow. "Still, Naruto, from an objective point of view, it's not because he's in love with me that I have to respond to him just to make him feel happy. It's not because he's idealizing a relationship that I will end up dating him. That's not how things work."

"Don't sound so practical about it!" Naruto threw, annoyed. "What the hell does that even mean?"

Sasuke shook his head from side to side. "It means that things will develop the way they have to, without your unnecessary intervention," he said, tiredly. "Whether Kiba and I end up together or not, it's not up to you to decide. Whatever happens between us, how I feel, or how he feels,_ it doesn't concern you_."

Naruto knew that. Still, it wasn't an answer. It didn't soothe him at all.

Naruto didn't say anything, instead choosing to crab his cup and take another sip of his coffee, desperately searching for some form of consolation. Sasuke tapped his fingers on the table, impatiently. "Aren't you going to tell me to at least be considerate and try my best?" he asked.

"No, I know you will be honest about it all at least. I know you care about him," Naruto assured him, darkly.

"And yet, you look more perturbed than when you got here." While Sasuke's voice hadn't changed, there was a hint of anger bubbling under the surface that Naruto could detect. It only made him tense further. "Say what you want to say."

This was when Naruto realized that he, too, still knew Sasuke well, because, just like that, he understood exactly why Sasuke was so obviously losing his patience with him.

Sasuke knew why Naruto was upset, and Naruto avoiding the true nature of it was angering him maybe, just maybe, because he wanted Naruto to be honest.

Just like in the balcony.

But… to what purpose? Was this why he was being purposefully vague when it came to Kiba?

If Sasuke knew everything, if he knew Naruto's feelings about this situation, why was he still trying to throw him to the fire in the middle of all this?

Didn't he understand that it was precisely because he couldn't sink into this that Naruto couldn't do what Sasuke wanted? Say what he wanted to hear?

Was Sasuke just being sadistic?

"You can't keep bottling that up inside of you if it's eating at you like this," Sasuke insisted. "You evaded me the other day; don't do that now."

Ah, there it was - Naruto had been right.

"I… don't know," Naruto muttered, honestly. "I really don't know, Sasuke."

He did, but… how could he simply be sincere when Kiba's happiness was at stake?

With a groan, Sasuke inhaled deeply through his nose, slowly bringing a hand to his forehead. He closed his eyes and rubbed at it with his fingers, a gesture to try and calm himself down that gave Naruto a few seconds to try and clear his head. Then, Sasuke lowered his hand and straightened his back up, brow furrowed as he looked seriously back at Naruto, who instantly knew he was going to be hit with something he wouldn't like to hear.

"I have the feeling that you came here under the false pretense of standing up for a friend, but in the end, all you were looking for was a confirmation from my part that things between me and Kiba were as meaningless as you had previously thought."

Out of all the things that Naruto had expected to be thrown at him, that was, by far the last one. "What?" he screeched, feeling his hands twitching as shock hit him. "Don't be ridiculous, I…"

"Things on Friday could've ended up a lot differently if you had been honest and talked about it with me," Sasuke snapped mercilessly. "That is a fact, Naruto, and you're here because you wonder about it, too."

Fuck, Sasuke's honesty was cruel and impacting and Naruto simply had not been prepared to be backed up against a wall like this. He felt trapped, completely astonished and speechless.

"No, I…"

"When are you going to admit that you're attracted to me?" Sasuke spoke as if Naruto's attitude was inconceivable to him, and this was further confusing. "That's why you're so uncomfortable about this whole situation between me and Kiba. You want Kiba's well-being, but you're attracted to me and it nags you that a part of you doesn't want me to like Kiba back."

Naruto blinked. Sasuke had fucking balls to say something like that to him. Never mind that he was right, Naruto was offended that these things had to be thrown so shamelessly to his face like this.

Sasuke had no right to strip him off his dignity like he was the fucking owner of supreme knowledge.

"Wow," Naruto whispered, shaking his head from side to side, moving his hands so they were on his lap, under the table. His fists automatically clenched as he tried not to panic. "Wow, you sure are a lot more self-entitled than I gave you credit for."

"Am I mistaken?" Sasuke insisted, in his high and mighty fucking demanding tone.

"Yes!"

"Look me in the eye and tell me I'm wrong."

Naruto _could_ look Sasuke in the eye, but while his resolve to fight back had been strong, he found his voice unexpectedly stuck inside his throat.

Sasuke_ knew_, and he was pushing Naruto's buttons because of it. He was using this to drag him in the mud just because Naruto wouldn't say what he wanted to hear.

"Coming here was clearly a mistake," Naruto said, voice empty as he slowly got up. "This kind of game clearly amuses you and I'm not here for this."

Just as slowly, and without looking away from him, Sasuke got up as well. "Why did you come here, then?"

"You know why, you're just twisting things and manipulating me into saying what you want to hear so it feeds your already huge ego!" Naruto hissed.

Sasuke snorted. "Right, because you don't think my ego isn't fed enough every single day of my life?"

Naruto gasped. "Holy fucking shit, you're being such a prick right now I can't even…"

"Jesus fucking Christ." Sasuke groaned putting his hands on his hips. He looked down at the floor, taking another deep, steadying breath before looking back up at Naruto. "Look, I'm attracted to you, you fucking idiot. Isn't that fucking obvious already? Stop beating around the bush, you're driving me crazy!"

The silence that followed the statement was freezing and Naruto was sure he hadn't heard it correctly because never in a million years would he ever think that Sasuke would be _that _straightforward.

Not about _that_, at least.

"Wh-what?" Naruto stuttered, blinking stupidly.

"I've thought about you for fourteen years, and now here you are, back in my life, and I felt it the very moment we laid eyes on each other," Sasuke confessed, raising his chin and looking at Naruto directly, bravely as if completely ready to face whatever cam at him, head on. "I know you feel it too. I see how you look at me, the things you say. I didn't pressure you on Friday because I was fooling around with you, I just hoped that you'd had the guts to talk to me about it."

"But… but Kiba, you said…"

"What does _that_ have to do with _this_?" Sasuke snapped, in disbelief. "That's not what we're talking about right now, Naruto."

Heart beating fast inside his chest, Naruto could only stare back. It was if his mind had gone blank and all he could hear was the sound of his own blood running too fast inside his veins.

What had he been expecting to hear, anyway? Wasn't this what he had lowkey wanted all along, even if it didn't offer any answer to his questions or solution to any of his problems? Suddenly, this was all too much, and Naruto felt like he could truly suffocate.

All of this felt eerie, like a fucked up parallel dimension because things had gotten weird and overwhelming.

Bringing a hand to his mouth, Naruto tried to breathe. "This is a lot to digest, I can't…" he muttered, under his breath. "I have to go."

He had not been prepared for this at all.

Naruto turned on his heels, bent on promptly leaving and saving himself the trouble of further embarrassing himself, but Sasuke was fast, quickly making his way to him and grabbing for his wrist to stop him. It wasn't a painful hold by no means, but it was tight.

"You can't even deny it," Sasuke said, as he easily made Naruto turn to face him.

Naruto found it difficult to look Sasuke in the face now, especially considering how suddenly and surprisingly uncomfortable he felt with the new proximity between them. It wasn't intimate, but it was threateningly close as he found his face maybe a hand away from Sasuke's. "Let go, Sasuke," he demanded, but it sounded more panicked than warning, even to him.

"Tell me I'm wrong and I will," Sasuke countered. "If you want nothing to do with me you should say it, even if it's just to protect my relationship with Kiba. So, _say it_ and I won't ever touch this subject again."

Damn it, Sasuke was fucking restless.

Naruto's eyes then snapped to his friend, anger quickly replacing his awkwardness. "You're putting me in a tight spot again, why do you always do this," he hissed, even in his state of mind, fighting to resist the urge to run his gaze over those damn gorgeous features. "I fucking hate this side of you."

"For someone supposed to be so pathetically honest, you sure are cunning in beating around the bush in this type of thing." Sasuke's hold was relentless, and he didn't seem shy in almost threateningly tugging at Naruto's wrist so they were closer, as if that would somehow help the situation. Almost touching noses with Sasuke was not helping the slightest - if anything, Naruto felt himself grow weaker physically as his growing fear made him increasingly furious.

This wasn't good.

Naruto's heart was beating so painfully he could barely remember how to breathe, and within him all sorts of chaotic emotions boiled, ready to burst at any given moment. He was, as a person, deeply emotional, and it had been far too long since he'd experienced so many things at the same time, so even as an adult, he was not ready for this - didn't even know how to begin organizing everything he felt.

"What do you want me to say, Sasuke, huh!" he barked, in a venomous whisper since, miraculously, he had the mind to be considerate of the sleeping baby in a room somewhere. "You seem to have everything under control, but I'm not like that! I can't just elegantly slip through these situations and wait for destiny to take the reins! I can't do this to Kiba! It _is_ about him! It doesn't matter how I feel about you, or how you feel about me. I can't do this!"

Sasuke looked genuinely taken aback at the outburst. "You'd neglect having an intimate and emotional experience with me because you want to protect Kiba?"

What kind of fucking question was that?

"I'm really fucking pissed at you for putting me in this position," Naruto said instead, regaining some of his strength and attempting shake Sasuke's hold off, but to no avail - he wasn't trying very hard after all because he didn't want to be aggressive. "This conversation is over. Let go of me. I'm leaving."

Sasuke was silent for a few seconds as he impassively watched Naruto uselessly try and set himself free. They were about the same height, but somehow Naruto seemed to the be weakest link, and it fucking sucked, but Naruto kept huffing and struggling until the other slowly relaxed his fingers and allowed Naruto to slip through them easily.

With a defiant glare, Naruto out a safe distance between them while he massaged his wrist, even if it he hadn't been hurt.

Sasuke slowly licked at his lips. "If you leave right now, I will never talk about this with you again, Naruto," he said, his expression strangely inscrutable now, his voice calm but neutral. "We'll be friends and that's it. I won't accept an apology, and there will be no turning back."

Unnecessarily, Naruto used his shaky hands to adjust his clothes just so he could do something with them. "Well, that makes things easier for the both of us doesn't it?"

Again, Sasuke paused. Then, he nodded once. "Have it your way then."

There was a moment when Naruto had the urge to flee in absolute relief, and yet, to his own frustration, he simply stood there, looking at Sasuke's still, inscrutable form and breathing hard. It felt like this scene wasn't happening at all, as if this was a dream, or a poor simulation his mind had created. Maybe he was still roleplaying inside his mind and hadn't even seen Sasuke yet. He honestly didn't know anymore.

Was this even real? Were they really going through all of this?

But there Sasuke stood, proud and defiant, still waiting as if he had known that Naruto wouldn't leave, and while Naruto wanted to, even through his racing thoughts, his body, moved certainly by his subconsciousness, had other ideas.

Naruto knew why this was happening, and he hated himself for it.

Sasuke was just there, and even so, he was a presence that sucked Naruto in. Every word he had said, every gesture he had made, every single way he had imposed his gaze upon Naruto had been a weapon to render him useless. This hadn't been about them at all, and even so, Sasuke had turned things around so that it was.

And Naruto wanted it to be, and this infuriated him to no end.

He was more infatuated than he had predicted, and this wasn't good. Sasuke knew it, too, and yet he had kissed Kiba. He knew it and he had told Naruto that he'd been into Kiba, but that he was into him as well.

Why? Why did he have to go and complicate everything? Even if it broke Naruto's heart, it would've been a thousand times better if he had simply pushed Naruto's buttons about Kiba and pushed aside their side of the issue.

It had been better if they had never been aware of each other at all. But that had always been impossible between them, and both knew it. Naruto, however, for Kiba's sake, should've been the better man.

What the fuck did Sasuke even want? To put Naruto in this kind of position when he knew Naruto was trying to protect a friend?

"You knew it from the very start," Naruto started, feeling oddly hurt for some reason "You knew why I came here, and yet you manipulated me into giving in anyway. I must've put on quite a show for you because, well, I'm a fucking open book, right? I had forgotten how you could be this kind of nasty and demanding person. It's not very likeable."

Sasuke's hands twitched at his sides. "I thought you said this conversation was over." Those elegant fingers curled and uncurled. "That threshold is waiting to be crossed, Naruto."

There it was, the manipulation that angered Naruto beyond belief and yet, brought with it a surge of new emotions he wasn't ready for.

He turned around and faced the kitchen's threshold, yet stood where he was, livid, fists clenched at his sides. He considered looking back over his shoulder at Sasuke but found that the sight might overwhelm him again.

And then, fear struck him again - heavy and all-consuming, fogging his brain as his heart filled with emotion while it felt like it was being squeezed until it got utterly crushed.

Why was it so scary to do something as simple as walking away?

A few seconds passed before Naruto did look over his shoulder. As he looked into Sasuke's intense, demanding eyes, he felt like screaming. This person he had longed for so long was now so easily within his reach, and yet, he felt like he shouldn't dare to touch. It felt dirty and disloyal. But Sasuke was _there,_ provoking him, waiting to be touched, reached. He was opening yet another door.

_What does he want from me? _

Naruto knew that leaving would be the safest, wisest choice - what a true friend should do - and yet, he found himself rooted to the spot, his eyes unable to look away from Sasuke's imposing, feral beauty. His very soul was rigid with fear.

A wave of longing washed over him. He hadn't noticed how much he yearned for that unknown thing until it was threatened away from him.

What if this door gets closed forever?

Could he do something as simple as risking it? Naruto wouldn't be losing Sasuke, but he would be losing him like that, possibly to someone else while Naruto just stood and watched.

Could he just sit back and simply be witness to this? Was this what he really wanted? Be it for Kiba or someone else, could he just let Sasuke go without knowing what was going on between them?

If Sasuke wanted honesty, then Naruto would no longer try and close himself off, he decided, defeated. By now, he knew it would only serve to pull them apart and force them into unnecessary conflict and that's not what he wanted at all.

He didn't want to lose Sasuke, or to destroy the things that made them who they were together. They were still at the beginning of a new life, a new relationship, and it was too soon to let it fall apart.

In the end, they simply knew each other far too well and there was no hiding from each other. And that was the thing that Naruto had always hated but missed the most.

Slowly, he turned again so he was facing Sasuke. Unexpectedly, his nervous system calmed down and found that he was no longer boiling with uncontrolled confusion and anger. What was the point, anyway? There was no undoing this anymore. Now, he just felt thoroughly tired.

"I _am_ attracted to you," he admitted, even if his voice was so quiet, he could barely hear himself. "In fact, I've been in love with you since we were kids. I was in love with you for a long time. I never forgot about you. You helped me be the person I am today, you were my first friend, my first love, my first anchor. I wanted to see you for so long. Look at you, how can I not… want you?"

To his satisfaction and slight surprise, Sasuke's expression changed, showing that he had understood that this had somehow crushed something inside of Naruto.

"Naruto…" he called out, almost apologetically, but the other raised a hand to stop him, effectively silencing him.

"My best friend's in love with you," Naruto proceeded, and now he was firm in his words, knowing that filtering it up would be of no use if he didn't want to destroy his relationship with Sasuke. "I'm not in love with you at this point, but whatever I feel, I needed these feelings repressed. I still need that. I can't do that to him. Even if all I want is to look at your face and listen to you speak in that horrible arrogant voice of yours with your fucking proper vocabulary for hours. Even if I wish I could draw and photograph you alone in my studio for days on end, with and without your clothes on."

Sasuke didn't smile, but his tone was gentle but also very insinuating. "Is that all you want to do?"

Naruto swallowed hard. "I can think of a few things to do in between, yeah."

"The sentiment is mutual."

This made Naruto's legs quiver despite himself. He was a terrible, terrible person for liking to hear that.

Why had Sasuke become this type of person? This man who was confident, fearless, and who just jumped at the things he wanted wholeheartedly and transparently.

He hadn't been afraid to talk to Naruto about his attraction and hadn't been afraid to tell him enough about his relationship with Kiba. Naruto hated how it made him feel, but there was no denying that Sasuke's guts were admirable.

The tension had become strong but well contained and it was both intoxicating and horrifying - Naruto couldn't escape if he tried. It was too late to try and hide now, and he was thankful that Sasuke hadn't moved from where he was, keeping himself away at a safe distance.

From the appreciative narrow of Sasuke's penetrating gaze, he was pleased by Naruto's sincerity, finally, so Naruto thought it was best to indulge him, even if only to see that kind of gaze coming from the other man, directed solely at him.

"I came here to see you, to be with you. And yes, to make sure that you were… reachable still. I thought I was okay with you being with Kiba, but when I saw you two together, I realized it's not. I'm not fine with it at all."

"I know," Sasuke said, with a nod. "You just wanted me to give you an excuse to walk away from me. That's not how it works. You can't mix my relationship with you with my relationship with Kiba."

If this wasn't all so baffling, Naruto would've laughed.

"Well, I'm not practical like you, Sasuke," Naruto huffed, scratching the top of his head with both hands and ruffling his already unruly hair further. "How can you tell me you're into Kiba and then say you're attracted to me five seconds later? That's fucked up. What am I supposed to do with that?"

"I didn't ask for your hand in marriage, neither did I say I was going to start dating Kiba," was Sasuke's answer, as a smirk graced the corner of his mouth.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Becoming serious once more, Sasuke sighed. "You think too much," he said, his shoulders relaxing. "It's my fault for getting you emotional. You're seeing this as something worse than it is."

"You apparently like two people at the same time, and I'm attracted to the person my best friend likes," Naruto grunted, sarcastically. "Sorry if I can't feel very optimistic about it."

Sasuke pursed his lips together for a moment. "We should talk about this."

"Yes," Naruto agreed. "I just don't think I can do anymore talking today. I… I need to think."

"Alright."

Sasuke's conceding was relieving, because Naruto didn't know how much more frustration and humiliation he could handle now. Not that Sasuke hadn't put himself out there, too, but on a personal level, Naruto felt like he had exposed himself like he hadn't in years, and he felt more than a little violated. He didn't know what to do about his feelings, or how to begin to process the knowledge he gained from Sasuke, let alone even begin to accommodate how this would possibly change his life from here on. He knew what he wanted to do but knew he shouldn't. So, he'd have to just… think and come to a consensus within himself, and then with Sasuke.

Just not today. He wasn't thinking straight, and he feared that the tension and his own impulsiveness might lead him into doing something he'd regret.

Although, when he looked at Sasuke he considered that regretting anything with him had to be impossible. Somehow, he knew Sasuke thought the same thing.

Another awkward silence filled the air, but it felt lighter now, somehow, even if Naruto still felt oddly naked under Sasuke's beautiful scrutinizing glance.

Clearing his throat, Naruto shoved his sweaty hands back inside the pocket of his hoodie. "Hey Sasuke," he muttered, carefully. "If we… happen to open that door for us. What do you think is on the other side?"

The question came as a surprise to Sasuke, who bit on his lower lip as his eyes looked away from Naruto, thoughtfully. "Just because that's a possibility we shouldn't assume it would be sun and roses," he eventually said. "Let's decide whether we will move along with it or away from it first, Naruto. Then we'll see."

Leave it to Sasuke to be the mature one in all of this. Well, someone had to be in control, even if it was a sort of fucked up one. Even if he had no idea what was going to come out of this whole mess, at least Naruto felt reassured that things would be settled one at the time and that he wouldn't be put into any more pressure than necessary, at least for now.

At least for now Sasuke would respect him.

But as Naruto stared at Sasuke's handsome same and swallowed hard, he couldn't help but wonder what the hell he'd gotten himself into.

TBC…

* * *

This chapter was hell to write but a necessary evil. I know Naruto's feelings are all over the place, even I had a hard time trying to organize it all, and I'm not sure I managed to do that correctly because he was COMPLICATED. This was just… a very frustrating chapter to write and even editing I almost felt like crying because holy fucking hell.

Also, before you guys rant, I did leave Sasuke's true intentions vague on purpose.

I'm sorry I left it open like that, but it was huge already as it is and there's much to happen in the next chapter as well. I'm almost guessing that many of you were anticipating a kiss in the middle of all that tension, huh? What would be the fun in that? ;)

Anyway, be prepared for this fic to have a few twists that you're probably not prepared for! Hopefully they're the good type.

I remind you that I have a KO-FI account under my name. Please consider donating if you appreciate what I do 3 Also, I'm always accepting commissions, so please talk to me if you're interested and we'll exchange emails!

Let's hope I can get a new chapter out before Xmas! Get ready 'cause it's gonna be a wild ride!

Don't forget to comment and let me know your thoughts on the chapter!

See ya next time and thank you for all the support!


	5. His Feelings

**A/N:** Hi guys! It's been a while since I've updated this, but I'm hoping no-one has given up on it yet ^^

I feel like this chapter is the first one where we understand exactly how intricate everything is, and also, the beginning of the unfolding of Sasuke's and Naruto's past. Nothing much happens, but I do hope you enjoy it!

Betaed by the lovely MistyMi from who is always so ready to help and such a diligent beta!

Enjoy!

* * *

Melting

**Chapter Five: His Feelings**

The family's name was Uchiha. Naruto came to know this because Sasuke's mother had become a regular buyer of his parents' farm's produce.

Naruto had always thought that Mikoto-san was a beautiful woman, the kind that doesn't need makeup or fancy clothes to be above average. She was kind, too, and clever, yet he couldn't help but think that she looked kind of sickly, even if she managed to hide it well behind her soft smile.

He wondered what kind of mother she was, and what kind of son Sasuke was, considering his horrible temper.

Truth be told, Naruto was silently thankful that one of his fathers, Iruka, always told him to help Mikoto-san carry the produce back to her place. He enjoyed talking to her, and of course, occasionally he'd get a glimpse of Sasuke, even if said boy was seldom at home, to Naruto's frustration.

Sasuke had his mother's face, but for sure he took after his father, personality-wise. Fugaku-san was a serious, quiet man who often didn't spare a second glance in Naruto's direction. He wasn't dislikeable per se, just very imposing in a scary way.

"I've noticed you are always looking for Sasuke," Mikoto-san had once said, while Naruto helped her with her gardening at their backyard. "Don't be angry at him for pushing you away; he's a good boy and I'm sure he wants to be your friend. It's just that he's in a difficult place right now. We all are."

Naruto had looked at her, feeling embarrassed that he'd been so easily discovered, but curiosity helped him shed away his shame. "What do you mean, a difficult place?" he'd asked.

Mikoto-san's expression hadn't changed, but she hadn't looked at Naruto either. "Sasuke had an older brother, and he passed away a few months ago, from a degenerative disease," she explained, and there was the slightest tremble of emotion in her voice, that she quickly concealed by clearing her throat. "That's why Fugaku and I decided to come here, so we could get away from everything and try to heal. We thought it would be good for Sasuke, as well."

The revelation came as a shock to Naruto. It wasn't as though he understood a great deal about death, for he had never been exposed to it, even if he was aware that his real parents had already died. It wasn't as if it made a difference to him since he had never known them.

But he understood, to a certain extent, that having someone with you for your whole life and then having them gone forever was sure to hurt a lot.

Instantly, Naruto's heart clenched with an emotion he couldn't really understand.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Mikoto-san," he said in a whisper. He didn't really know what else to say in such a situation, and even this was based on stuff he'd heard on TV shows, but it had seemed appropriate.

"Thank you," Mikoto-san said, with a vague smile, before she kept working the grounds with steady, careful hands. Silently, Naruto too, continued digging the dirt, getting it ready for seeding.

"My son's name was Itachi," Mikoto-san said after a while, almost conversationally. "He and Sasuke had a very close relationship. Sasuke looked up to him as if he were some sort of god, and I have never seen an older brother being so devoted to his little brother like Itachi was. It was the kind of sibling relationship I think a lot of people would envy."

She heaved a long sigh, finally looking at Naruto. "Sasuke isn't taking his brother's passing easily," she explained, her expression becoming sad. "I suppose that was our fault since we hid Itachi's illness from him. Sasuke wasn't ready. But then again, none of us were."

"You didn't want to hurt him," Naruto muttered, putting a hand on her arm empathetically. "You can't blame yourself for this, Mikoto-san!"

Mikoto-san smiled at him, placing a hand over his in gratitude. "You're a good boy, Naruto," she said, sweetly. "But I underestimated Sasuke' ability to handle his brother's illness, and now he hates us because he wasn't able to support him properly."

Mikoto-san bit on her lower lip, his eyes trained on the dirt beneath her knees, an almost vacant look filling them. "I can't blame him. He loved Itachi so much, and all of a sudden he was left alone. He never had many friends, you see, always choosing to spend time with Itachi instead of playing with children his age. Itachi's last few weeks were spent in seclusion and Sasuke didn't see him, neither did he know what was going on. Now he's lost and doesn't know how to manage his feelings."

Naruto had looked at Mikoto-san's lost expression with wide eyes, wondering why it felt like something was off about her. He'd been too young then, but he couldn't' help but wonder why she seemed to be taking this situation so placidly. It was clear that she was sad, but she had lost a child and was still able to smile at him like that, talking about her children in such a peaceful, almost sadly detached way. Naruto hadn't been able to understand her attitude, but in his naivety, he'd considered that maybe people had different ways of dealing with death and sadness.

However, even if this upset him, he couldn't help but hurt for Sasuke because he'd had no idea the boy was going through so much at the moment. Naruto had tried to push his buttons, had insulted him, called him an asshole and considered him to be a nasty prick. Granted, Sasuke hadn't been exactly nice to him, but there was something behind it after all.

Sasuke was hurting.

Sasuke had lost someone he had loved deeply and perhaps he hadn't even gotten a chance to say goodbye. Itachi had simply vanished, and Sasuke hadn't been able to do a single thing about it. Somehow, the thought alone was so sad Naruto couldn't take it. Even if the whole family's situation was complicated, he couldn't help but feel for Sasuke the most, maybe because they were the same age.

Before he'd known what was going on with him, tears were welling up in his blue eyes and falling helplessly, and all he could do was let out a choked hiccup. He knew it was stupid of him to cry on someone else's behalf, but he felt so helpless all of a sudden, so useless he couldn't bear it.

A gentle hand caressed the top of his head as he covered his eyes with the crook of his arm. "Don't cry, Naruto," Mikoto-san said, soothingly. "It'll be alright. I'm sure Sasuke will be fine if he has you as a friend."

Naruto could only cry.

000

Sasuke had been crying for a long time. Not a pitiful, childish type of crying but a silent, angry type where tears just streamed down his face as he used a slingshot to throw stones at a makeshift target stuck to a tree trunk. His eyes were feral, livid, his teeth clenched so tightly his jaw had to hurt.

For sure, he knew Naruto was watching from behind a nearby bush (he always knew), and yet, he seemed too disturbed by whatever was upsetting him to bother feeling embarrassed.

For the first time since they'd met, Naruto felt his heart clench in such a deep, raw empathy that it hurt. If before he had thought that Sasuke was just an ill-tempered, cocky kid, now it seemed as though some type of curtain had been lifted from around him, exposing him shamelessly for Naruto to see.

And Naruto could see Sasuke in ways that he hadn't before. The anger in other's eyes, tainted by sadness, the frustration and the sheer… fear?

Naruto didn't know what it was, but for some reason, where before he had seen fierceness, now he saw confusion and helplessness.

Sasuke was lost. Not only that, he seemed to be completely at a loss for what to do with himself in this new phase of his life, and it clearly terrified him. Naruto didn't know how he came to know this, but he did.

It hurt. Naruto felt hurt in ways not even he understood.

From the way he was constantly hissing and wiping at his tears with his arm, it was clear that Sasuke was hating himself for crying.

It wasn't as if Naruto felt sorry for Sasuke exactly, but it was kind of difficult to be indifferent now that he knew the truth behind the other boy's attitude.

Mikoto-san had said that Sasuke had been a good child, and Naruto wanted to know who that was – who was the Sasuke from the past, the one who had smiled and been kind and loving to his family.

No-one deserved to live in pain.

Sasuke had to have a lot of love for his brother for him to be suffering this much.

"I know what happened to your brother," Naruto said carefully, as he emerged from behind the bush to reveal himself to Sasuke's profile.

Sasuke, for his part, didn't even react to his announced presence, sniffing and crouching down to catch another stone.

Naruto didn't know what he'd been expecting, exposing this so bluntly to Sasuke, but he simply wanted to be there, to be able to help in any way possible.

"Sasuke," Naruto called out, a bit more firmly this time. "Let me help you! I don't know what it's like to lose someone dear to you. I mean, I never met my real parents, but I've always had Iruka and Kakashi, so I never felt that kind of loneliness. I know it can't be compared. But I…"

"Shut up," Sasuke snapped, straightening up and looking at Naruto, who immediately shut his mouth. The boy was a mess of puffy eyes, disheveled hair and dnot, but his voice was terrifyingly steady, cold. Dark eyes trembled in watery fury and he didn't even bother to wipe at his tears anymore as he stared firm daggers in Naruto's direction. "You're a pain in the ass! Who the hell do you think you are to talk about stuff that's none of your business?"

"I'm trying to be your friend!" Naruto defended, frowning. "You shouldn't be alone right now! I…"

"Friend?" Sasuke grunted, shaking his head from side to side as he clenched his fist around the slingshot. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath through his nose, his expression relaxing to become overwhelmingly sad. "If you want to help, you can start by staying the hell away from me. I don't need more bonds if I'm just going to lose them in the end."

His voice had shaken, causing goosebumps to rise on Naruto's skin. "Sasuke…" he muttered, through the sudden lump that had formed in his throat, but that was all he could say.

Without saying another word, Sasuke dropped the slingshot. He opened his eyes and looked at Naruto for a moment, exhaustion and something indefinable in his dark watery eyes making Naruto's heart's clench. Silently, Sasuke turned his back to him and walked away, and Naruto had the urge to run after him and hug him so he could offer some form of comfort – anything - but instead, he stood where he was, resignedly.

At that moment, as he watched the other boy leave, things became clearer to him. He understood now where Sasuke was emotionally, and why he kept pushing him away.

Sasuke was hurting and scared of hurting further. His heart was like a fragile piece of glass already cracked, and it wouldn't take much for it to shatter irreversibly.

Somehow, Naruto didn't want that to happen. Sasuke deserved to smile, to find peace. If Itachi had loved him as much, he would be sad in heaven, looking down and seeing his little brother hurting so much.

Sniffing a bit, Naruto walked towards the spot where Sasuke had been and crouched down to grab for his slingshot. He would give it back when the time was right.

Would there ever be a right time for them, though?

000

Naruto hadn't expected Sasuke to pull him in by the wrist before wrapping his arms around his neck. "I'm sorry I was so harsh on you," Sasuke apologised in Naruto's ear. "I didn't mean to lash out, I was just frustrated that you kept contradicting yourself."

They were standing in the middle of Sasuke's hallway and Naruto's heart was beating frantically inside his chest, the warm body pressed against his a source of both comfort and discomfort. Sasuke had never come across as a particularly affectionate person, so that embrace was certainly unexpected. Still, it felt good, and Sasuke smelled so good, too, his soft bangs rubbing against Naruto's cheek softly.

"Ah... it's fine," Naruto muttered awkwardly, feeling himself blush while putting a hand on Sasuke's shoulder but not wanting too much intimacy since he didn't really trust himself after their conversation. "I was being kind of a stubborn ass, too."

He held his breath as soft lips were pressed to his temple in a feathered-like kiss before retracting. Sasuke fluidly pulled away until they were no longer touching and Naruto could only watch him wide-eyed as he opened the apartment's door for him. "Give me a call when you're ready to talk," Sasuke said carefully.

Blushing even more, Naruto silently nodded and quickly made his way out before he did something stupid.

His heart wasn't going to handle this. What was he, a teenager? It wasn't fair that he had to be like this for so little.

It was suffocating, and bad he stepped into the busy streets outside, he felt relieved.

If Naruto had to be honest with himself, he had wanted to spend more time with Sasuke that morning, but after the turmoil of emotions he'd been subjected to, he didn't trust himself to stay, no matter how much he wanted to. There was no denying that he felt sad that he hadn't gotten to see little Itachi, but he hoped he would have the chance sometime soon.

Before making his way home, he figured he needed some time to vent a little and take everything in, so he stopped at a bakery shop to get himself a couple donuts and decided to munch on them as he took a walk.

Truth was, Naruto was torn between feeling pissed out of his mind and excited beyond himself. The way Sasuke had pushed his buttons hadn't been nice at all and he was still fuming about it, but on the other hand, they had both ended up confessing to having feelings for each other and that was something that made Naruto feel immensely happy, even if he knew he shouldn't.

How could he help it, though? He had tried so hard to ignore the growing attraction he felt, as well as the fact that he could feel the same attraction coming from Sasuke. If they hadn't been honest with each other at this point, things were bound to go from bad to worse further down the road, especially if Sasuke and Kiba started dating. Naruto wondered how he'd feel then.

Now that he thought about it, Naruto had claimed to not be in love with Sasuke at this point, but he wondered how much of that was true when he was becoming so easily affected already. Sure, he and the guy hadn't seen each other in many years and they really didn't know each other, but it was shockingly easy to pretend like time hadn't passed at all. They had such easy-going dynamics already (as opposed to their time as kids) and Sasuke's appearance made Naruto feel things he hadn't felt in a long time, if ever.

How much of it was purely physical, Naruto didn't know, but he did have feelings for Sasuke, he just wasn't sure which.

Sasuke had said he and Kiba weren't dating, apparently because Kiba hadn't talked to him about the kiss yet, or so Naruto thought.

For a whole week Kiba hadn't said anything about the situation, and as shaken and confused as Naruto had been, he hadn't even considered asking . But well, he figured that Sasuke wouldn't be lying about it, plus Kiba would definitely tell Naruto if they had started dating.

Still, Naruto was confused. He kept replaying his and Sasuke's conversation inside his mind and while some parts of it excited him and made him feel all sorts of wonderful things inside, other parts just gave him an unavoidable sense of anxiety.

Sasuke had said that he had taken into consideration Kiba's feelings when they had kissed. He also said that he and Kiba had been dancing around each other for a while now, so that gave away the fact that there were feelings involved between them. Naruto felt strangely upset by this.

So, what was, exactly, the difference between Naruto and Kiba in Sasuke's eyes? Kiba was a friend and things seemed to be comfortable between them. Naruto was someone Sasuke was 'attracted' to, and they had a past together that maybe brought certain feelings into the mix as well. Naruto supposed the two of them couldn't be compared, but in the end, what weighed the most?

What kind of feelings were they talking about, exactly?

Naruto guessed that his own feelings should be considered, as well, because he had been honest, like Sasuke had wanted, but to what purpose? What was he expecting to achieve with Sasuke? Would it be alright if they started a physical relationship or did he want something more? If it was just physical, would it be alright if Sasuke started dating Kiba after a while?

And there he had been, preaching about wanting to protect a friend. If he had been so sure about that, looking Sasuke in the eye and dismissing everything should've been easy, and yet, he had wanted Sasuke to know that maybe he wanted the breach between them to be closed.

Even if it made him feel like crap, he couldn't help but want to understand if there was something more between them than just 'friendship' and 'attraction'.

Despite how weird their relationship had been as kids, for years Naruto had seen Sasuke as the one person who knew him at heart, understood him completely and, more importantly, respected and accepted him like no-one else. That was something that had always been very relevant to Naruto, and the hope of finding something similar had followed Naruto throughout the years as he had sailed from one relationship to another.

Sasuke had changed Naruto, but he had never asked him to, not even once. They had somehow crashed in each other's lives like a train wreck, but instead of ruining each other they had saved each other, without asking for anything in return.

This wasn't exactly the recipe for a fantastic romance, but it certainly had become what Naruto considered to be a 'burdened free' type of love. You give and you take what's given back, just like that. For a first love, Naruto considered that it had been rather beautiful and his most precious gift so far.

Having Sasuke back in his life was amazing, but… what did Naruto want to happen between them? This wasn't something he wanted to think about, at least for now.

If Kiba didn't exist in his life, he would surely want to invest his time (and heart) on Sasuke without restraint. After all, he was single and pretty much attracted to said man who so happened to have been the bane of his existence for years. It all felt like a dream at this point.

Naruto wasn't exactly single at his age because he wanted to – it was simply difficult for him to find someone compatible enough to make him want to settle down. Honestly speaking, he didn't really know what his problem was that nothing seemed to be enough.

But he did want to settle down, find his own place with someone he loved, maybe even have kids, his or adopted; he didn't care. He had accomplished so much on his own that he wanted to start sharing that with someone else, too.

Whether this would happen with Sasuke or not, Naruto didn't know, but he didn't want to think about it right now, or over romanticize anything happening between them at this point because he could end up regretting it.

The two of them were merely 'attracted' to each other, and drawn to each other by a shared past; it didn't exactly mean anything in particular, plus, Kiba was in the middle.

Heaving a sigh, Naruto made his way home. There was much to think about, and he needed to get his shit together in order to figure out which way to go from now on.

000

"Damn it, Sasuke! You know I hate it when you pay for my stuff!" Kiba complained, sitting on the chair in front of Sasuke's desk with a frown.

Sasuke merely rolled his eyes and extended the package in his hands towards his friend. "I'll let you buy me lunch tomorrow if it appeases your manly pride," he teased.

"Deal," Kiba said, accepting the package with pleased look on his features.

Unwrapping his sandwich now in his lap, Kiba immediately took a hungry bite that completely filled his mouth. Closing his eyes, he moaned softly in pleasure, causing Sasuke to smirk fondly.

Sitting slightly on the edge of his mahogany desk, Sasuke picked up a fry from a pack next to him, resting on the surface beneath him, and brought it to his mouth, chewing slowly as he contemplated his friend and quickly considered how he should approach the subject without beating around the bush and not being too vague.

Even if this wasn't something he was looking forward to discussing, he had decided that, one way or another, he would have to be honest with Kiba and see where it went. Of course, he could be risking losing something good, too, but he supposed working to patch things up later would be better than outright making a fool out of the man when he didn't deserve it.

He wondered how Naruto would react to it, but then again, it really was none of Naruto's business how Sasuke himself decided to approach the situation between the three of them when he was the one in the middle of that mess. Sasuke would handle Kiba whichever way he saw fit.

Looking at Kiba's calm and comfortable demeanor in his presence made Sasuke's heart clench. Kiba had been a good friend for years now, always trying to make him smile and constantly striving to be a steady presence in his life regardless of the means. Even before things had started to change between them, Kiba had been hardworking and faithful, always energetically grateful to Sasuke for every chance that was presented to him in the company. Now, they were actual coworkers – boss and underling, to be more precise – but Kiba hadn't once tried to take advantage of his friendship with Sasuke to try and slack off or evolve in the company. Sasuke liked to believe that Kiba knew him well enough to know better, too.

Kiba had always been a bright light in his life, especially since Itachi's birth, much like Naruto had been back when they were young. One would say that, with them being such different people, it would be impossible for some kind of attraction to grow, yet it had. Sasuke hadn't been aware of it, but from one moment to the other, certain eye exchanges had happened as well as more intimate touches, longer embraces and closer conversations. It was easy to go to Kiba whenever he needed something, and Kiba felt the same way. These things became a comforting constant.

Sasuke hadn't been in that many relationships in his life, but he knew enough to know having a lover was something that required high maintenance, and he wasn't exactly the type of guy who had time and disposition to be that considerate of other people.

The fact that things had been gradual and steady between him and Kiba was what had prompted Sasuke to consider taking a step forward and investing a bit of his emotional time since they had good dynamics.

If it hadn't been for Naruto's sudden appearance in his life, this wouldn't exactly be an issue at all.

Sasuke munched on another fry as he passively watched Kiba eat. It wasn't as if he was in love with Naruto or anything, or at least he didn't think so, yet he was aware that Naruto made him feel things that went beyond just physical attraction, but he could definitely be mistaking it for something else – maybe that overbearing longing he'd been feeling from the moment he and Naruto had gone their separate ways. He had spent years thinking of Naruto, wanting to find him, grieving the absence of someone he hadn't been able to forget, and now that he had him back, Sasuke felt ecstatic. Still, compared to Kiba, Naruto was someone he knew absolutely nothing about.

Even if they were able to interact with each other easily, and even if, indeed, they had been each other's first love, this was hardly enough to give up everything for. They were strangers right now, even if very attracted to each other.

It was a solemn feeling for Sasuke. He and Kiba had attraction going on, but it was also strongly linked to the connection they had as friends that had been progressively growing into something else the more time passed. But, when it came to him and Naruto, the attraction had felt like a punch to the gut the moment he had first laid eyes on the man and recognized him.

Sasuke didn't know what to make of himself, but… even if he didn't want to hurt Kiba, not giving in when he'd wanted Naruto all along wasn't exactly something he could afford to do. He refused to live with regret, and in his eagerness, he had forced Naruto to acknowledge his desire, too.

Sasuke regretted having treated his friend so forcefully, but Naruto was a terrible liar and it pissed him off that he'd so shamelessly say something one moment only to go around in circles the next.

They sure had many things to talk about and settle, but that would have to wait.

"Hey Kiba," Sasuke said casually, making sure his voice was calm, his tone casual. "I don't really like mixing work with personal things, but we haven't been seeing each other often outside of work due to my tight schedule, so I was wondering if we could have a talk now."

Swallowing the food in his mouth at once, Kiba straightened up in his chair, brown eyes immediately focused on him. "Of course!"

Throwing yet another fry into his mouth, Sasuke pat his hands against each other to shake off the salt in his fingers. "Well, we haven't really talked about what happened last Friday."

Kiba tensed visibly at that, pink coloring his cheeks. "Yeah, sorry," he apologized, clearing his throat in embarrassment. "As you said we haven't been talking much outside of work stuff. I didn't mean to evade you or anything like that."

"I could tell from the texts you sent," Sasuke said, a little teasingly. "I just wanted to know your take on it."

"My take?" Kiba seemed confused.

Sasuke reached behind him to grab for his sandwich, easily unwrapping it as he asked, "What are you expecting from this situation between us?"

From experience, Sasuke knew that doing mundane things and acting casual would usually make others feel more at ease, and this was no different. Under no circumstance did he want Kiba to feel uncomfortable - he just genuinely needed them to sort things out sooner rather than later.

So, he took a small bite on his sandwich, cautiously relaxing his features as he looked at his friend, waiting.

Kiba was still blushing comically, but not once had he averted his eyes from Sasuke's figure. His expression had turned serious now, almost formal. He lowered his own sandwich, letting it rest over his lap.

"We've been doing this for a while now, Sasuke, so there's no point pretending that you don't know what I want," Kiba said, in his straightforward way that Sasuke had always appreciated. "I know we haven't exactly approached this subject yet, but I think we have something good going on, and I'm serious about you." He cleared his throat again and smiled a bit. "I know you're not the type to commit easily, so I know we'd have to test the waters for a while, but I do hope we can eventually be in a relationship."

In spite of himself, Sasuke couldn't help but smile back. "That's good to hear," he said, with a nod. "And I want you to know that I share the sentiment wholeheartedly."

Thoughtfully, Sasuke took a small bite of his sandwich, chewing for a while.

"You've been a wonderful friend, Kiba, and someone that was able to bring out the best in me," Sasuke said, sincerely, after having swallowed. "You're great with Itachi, and you always respected my life and the baggage I carry. I trust you as if you were my family, and I hope you know this."

"Why do I sense that there is 'but' coming?" Kiba muttered, with a frown.

Sasuke bit on his lower lip, again, choosing his words carefully inside his head. It wasn't as though he didn't know that he could be blunt with Kiba without being misinterpreted, but he didn't want to say the wrong thing since he knew he was a hot tempered man and could easily deliver the sort of blow that would bring unwanted results. Solemnly, he put the sandwich down on the desk.

"It's not that there is a 'but', per se," he started, with a sigh. "I want to do this with you. Very much so. However, certain circumstances have… clouded things for me."

Kiba looked at him in silence for a few seconds. "What circumstances, exactly?" he asked, his tone polite, but carrying a hint of concern (or was that fear?) to it.

Sasuke chose to be short and direct. "A childhood friend I hadn't seen in many years has suddenly returned to my life," he explained, with simplicity. "To keep it short, we don't have a lot of history, but we formed a connection in times that were dire for both of us, so it was definitely a meaningful friendship. They were someone I wanted to find for a long time, so when I saw them again, after so long, I became conflicted. I wasn't expecting it, I..." Sasuke paused, trying to keep his features impassive as he tried to find a coherent, yet not too emotional way of exposing things but found that he couldn't.

Truth be told, he didn't want to talk about his feelings for Naruto, or what he had felt when they had seen each other again. Even if he wanted Kiba to understand, he felt like this part of the situation was too intimate, perhaps, too private, and he didn't want to hurt Kiba's feelings.

"Were you ever in love with this person?" Kiba asked, wisely and not reproachfully, for which Sasuke was grateful.

"Maybe I was in love with the concept of who they were," Sasuke admitted, with an elegant shrug of his shoulders. "I don't know them at this point, and yet at times it feels as if we never drew apart at all."

"Do they feel the same way about you?"

"We've talked about some part of it, yes." Sasuke looked away from Kiba, fearing that his eyes might give something away. "Our feelings for each other have always progressed mutually, even from a distance, odd as it may sound."

"Sounds like the perfect fairytale love story," Kiba mocked, without spite. For some reason, Sasuke couldn't help but feel endeared.

Sasuke looked up at him again, shaking his head from side to side. "It's not like this has affected my feelings for you," he explained. "But I don't think it would be wise for us to start a relationship at this point. It wouldn't be fair to you."

"Because you'd be thinking about someone else?" Kiba interjected, perceptively.

"I have unresolved feelings for this person," Sasuke admitted, with a frown. "Where they will lead to I don't know."

Kiba seemed to be eyeing him curiously now. "Did the two of you get involved?"

He was so honestly blunt Sasuke had to smile. "No; not at all."

"But you want to?"

"Kiba, you should know better than to ask me this type of questions," Sasuke replied, even if he felt amused.

Kiba rolled his eyes at him and shook his head from side to side, almost condescendingly. "Look, Sasuke, I'm not a child," he said, seriously. "You're a free man; you're not bound to me in any way, so you can do whatever you want. What I want to know is: are you asking me to step aside so you can be with this person?"

The question took Sasuke by surprise as he stared into Kiba's dark brown eyes.

What was Kiba getting at?

"As I said, I don't know how I feel," Sasuke muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "I care for the person, but maybe it's just sexual attraction at this point. Maybe it'll end up as nothing but friendship. I have no way of telling; it's too soon."

Kiba all but smirked. "You still like me, then?"

"Didn't I just say this had nothing to do with how I feel about you?" Sasuke retorted, eyebrows quirking up as Kiba's face was instantly filled with smugness.

"I appreciate your honesty, boss, but if you like me and still want me around, then that's where I'll be," he said, with a cocky grin. "Why don't you and this person do what you have to do, and you and I do our thing, too? We have history, Sasuke, so I don't think I have competition. I'll make sure you know who to choose in the end."

Eyes glued to Kiba's features, Sasuke felt his heart beating slightly faster with a warm, yet annoying feeling. Kiba was definitely not as handsome as Naruto, but he was considerably good-looking, and that confident huge smile with those sharp canines showing was something else.

Despite himself, Sasuke chuckled lowly. "I have to admit that your confidence is kind of sexy."

Kiba's smirk became even more devious. "I'm not giving up on you unless you say you want me to."

Kiba seemed to know him better than he had expected because he knew how to play the game effortlessly, and it made it impossible for Sasuke to want to push him away.

He had never wanted Kiba out of his life at all, least of all as a potential lover. They had taken a long time to get to this point – Sasuke himself had been thinking about something serious with the other man – so wouldn't deny it all for his uncertain situation with Naruto be something utterly stupid?

"I gave you the chance to walk away willingly," was all Sasuke said.

Unblinkingly, Sasuke watched as his friend got up, carefully bringing the sandwich with him until he was standing in front of Sasuke. He took a single step forward, making sure he and Sasuke's chests were pressed against each other before putting the sandwich down on the desk next to Sasuke's. They were about the same height so Sasuke had no problems staring into his eyes.

"You'll have to do a lot better than that to push me away if you want to be believable," Kiba teased softly, pressing a chaste kiss to Sasuke's cheek.

Even if this was considerably new territory for the both of them, and even if it made Sasuke feel slightly out of breath, he didn't even flinch as hands came to rest on his hips. Kiba's expression had turned serious, almost challenging, and it spoke of words he wouldn't dare utter.

But Sasuke was aware that he was deeply loved by this man, and this wasn't something easy to ignore.

Uncrossing his arms, Sasuke absently placed his hands intimately over Kiba's chest, the contact making the other man take a deep breath through his nose. "Do you have questions?" he asked, gently. "Is there anything you want to know?"

It was moving, and flattering that Kiba's heart was pounding wildly beneath Sasuke's hand as he leaned in to speak in his ear. "I'll think about it when I stop being jealous of this mysterious person who's trying to steal you away from me," he whispered, before placing a small kiss on Sasuke's earlobe, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

"You don't have to be jealous at all," Sasuke whispered back, with a small sigh, his hands closing around the fabric of Kiba's white shirt. The proximity was intoxicating, yet easy.

Again, Kiba chuckled before leaning back to look at Sasuke. "I know, because I'll have you marrying me someday," he said, with a playful smile. "So, let me like you in my own way, okay? I don't care about anything else if you like me back."

Regardless of how close they were, these words made weird things happen to Sasuke's own heart that he had no control over as heat made its way up his cheeks. No-one would say Kiba was capable of being such a smooth talker, but he supposed this was one of the many things Sasuke had been privy to that not many knew of.

"Idiot," Sasuke breathed, pulling Kiba to him by his shirt and easily bringing their mouths together. Kiba's arms quickly came around his waist, his body pressing itself closer to Sasuke's, mouth parting instantly to dart his tongue out and taste his friend's.

It was the first time that they were kissing like this, yet it flowed smoothly, perfectly and it all felt so unabashedly natural it felt unreal. Kiba was a passionate kisser and not at all shy in pressing himself to Sasuke to show him his blatant arousal. Sasuke liked that.

It felt good, too, and strangely satisfying.

Why was this so fucking easy? He couldn't understand, but it brought a sense of happiness he couldn't explain. He'd been alone for such a long time, so focused on living his life and doing things for himself and Itachi that he had almost forgotten how much he had wanted, and needed, something as grounding as a trustful intimate relationship with someone.

Was it wrong to not let it go? Was it wrong to still be willing to taint something good like this for a crush on an old friend?

Only time would tell. Right now, this with Kiba was something he could - and would - hold on to. Kiba had allowed him to, so he would take as much as he and Naruto were willing to give.

Kiba's arms hugged him almost possessively, protectively as if fearing he'd flee, and as Sasuke's fingers uncurled from around his friend's shirt so he could hug Kiba back from sound his neck, all he thought about was that he wanted it all and that, maybe, he was just kidding himself.

He considered that was in love with the man in his arms, so why did he feel the need to clear things inside his heart and mind when it came to Naruto?

It was because he didn't know that he had to see for himself what it was about them that made him go this far.

For now, going with the flow was all he could do.

000

Naruto didn't want things to change with Kiba. Truth be told, he was kind of scared of changing things with Sasuke, too. Their new friendship was still starting, and even though he had a feeling Sasuke wasn't willing to let anything ruin it, it was still hard not to think about how badly (or awkwardly) things could turn out in the end.

If they happened to get involved, how would their relationship be if things didn't go well?

What if they did go well? Where would that leave Kiba? What would happen to his friendship with Kiba?

However, if there was one thing Sasuke had been one hundred percent right about was that Naruto moving away wouldn't exactly guarantee that he and Kiba would end up together. It was nothing but wishful thinking produced by Naruto's own morality, but if Sasuke himself was struggling with his own feelings, then there was nothing Naruto could possibly do about it.

In the end, it really wasn't his choice to make.

It was very daunting, though.

There were many things Naruto knew he couldn't control, and yet, there were things he could control, and that was when he decided that this whole façade was getting too dangerous, too soon, and that he needed to man up, so the least he could do was to get out of this mess.

That could only be accomplished by him telling Kiba the truth. Not that he was looking forward to it, and he was very frightened by his best friend's possible reaction to it, but it had to be done - he needed to get rid of this burden before he saw Sasuke again, because, now that things were out in the open, there was no telling what would happen next.

He'd fix things up with Kiba if he had to. Eventually. They were best friends, they had to make up.

Still, Naruto wasn't exactly looking forward to this conversation, and he'd been anxious about it for hours, so when Kiba got home at the end of the day, Naruto was pretty nervous as he asked his best friend to sit down on the sofa next to him.

Kiba had been surprised but had complied, slumping down on the sofa gracelessly as he loosened up his red tie from around his neck.

"I have something to tell you and you need to promise not to be mad at me," Naruto said, gripping the photograph he had fished out of his old notebook in his hands.

"I don't have enough good temper to make that kind of promise, Naruto, you know that," Kiba retorted, with a tired huff.

"Then promise me you won't let our friendship be affected by this."

"You're starting to freak me out," Kiba replied, making a face at Naruto as he ran his fingers through his brown unruly hair. "We're almost like brothers, I'm sure that whatever you have to tell me is something we can work through. Now say what you want to say."

Naruto gripped the photograph harder in his hands, gulping. He took a deep, steadying breath to summon up the needed courage. Might as well let it out now. It was better to be honest at this point than having Kiba figuring things out later.

Clearing his throat, Naruto blurted out "Kiba, I've been lying to you."

TBC...

* * *

Why do I have the feeling that I have pissed off a lot of you with this chapter? Please don't kill me, I just do what the characters tell me to do ^^'

Next chapter will definitely more more Sasuke/Naruto centered since they do need to organize things between them and talk.

Please don't forget to comment to let me know your thoughts! Also, you can always follow me on Twitter NoChidoriUchiha, and support me on (P)atreon and/or (K)o-fi!

Thank you for reading!


End file.
